<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Alone We Fight by SilvermistAnimeLover</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27409972">Alone We Fight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilvermistAnimeLover/pseuds/SilvermistAnimeLover'>SilvermistAnimeLover</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Legend of Zelda &amp; Related Fandoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Discovering Wild's Hyrule, Guardians - Freeform, Horrible cooking, How do I tag?, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I hurt Wild, I love Wild, I try to include everyone - Freeform, I'm not sorry, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Mipha's Grace, More tags to be added, No Idea, Sky and wild fluff, Sky is mom, Time is Dad, Tsundere Legend, Wild (Linked Universe)-centric, Wild angst, breath of the wild - Freeform, eventually, gang meets wild, hurt with comfort, kickass Wild, kickass everyone, lots of comfort (eventually), meeting wild, my first LU work, wolfie - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:19:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>48,269</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27409972</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilvermistAnimeLover/pseuds/SilvermistAnimeLover</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Well, Wild? This is your Hyrule. Have you figured out why we're here?" Time asked.<br/>"Yeah." Wild swallowed thickly, forcing bile down his throat.<br/>"Well?" Legend raised an impatient eyebrow, and Wild turned away. How was he going to explain this? He'd told them virtually nothing of his journey. How was he supposed to convey how terrible this situation was? That the Blights had been revived. <br/>"Come on. We're heading towards Zora's Domain." </p><p>A gang-meets-Wild fic with an actual plot (I think). Featuring a Wild who's a tad more secretive about his journey.</p><p>Linked Universe belongs to Jojo, and I'm just a fan. :3</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sky &amp; Wild (Linked Universe), Time &amp; Wild (Linked Universe), Wild (Linked Universe) &amp; Everyone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>334</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1752</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Fics I can and regularly do re-read, RaeLynn's Epic Rec List</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Wild Encounter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> <strong>A/N: Hi! This is my first venture into the Linked Universe fandom (LU by Jojo, check it out! Their work is amazing!!). This story will be slow updating, and I apologize for any OOCness. Big shoutout to the LU Discord, which is full of amazing people who are awesome and encouraging! Love you guys!! :) <br/></strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Also, my username on Discord for the LU is Hero of the Deathly Loneliness.</strong>
  </em>
</p><hr/>
<hr/><p>“Are you <em>kidding</em> me?!” Legend scowled at his bowl of… something. “I can’t even <em>identify</em> this!”</p><p>“Just be quiet and eat.” Time shot him a glare. Though he didn’t want to eat this slop any more than Legend did, Sky had tried his hardest tonight. One would think that with eight different Links, <em>one</em> of them would know how to cook beyond ‘roast it over fire until it’s hot’. The best any of them could honestly do was roasted fish—and that got tiring after the thirtieth time. Even still, Time thought fish sounded a <em>lot</em> better than whatever this purple gelatinous substance was.</p><p>Was it <em>moving</em>? Time was fairly sure that nothing that went into the soup was supposed to be alive. He shoveled half of it down before discreetly dumping the rest into Twilight’s bowl—receiving a horrified and betrayed look from his protégé—which he promptly ignored.</p><p>He could eat an apple or something later. If whatever he just consumed didn’t crawl its way back up first.</p><p>To be fair, even Sky looked a bit perturbed by his own cooking, so Time didn’t feel <em>as</em> bad about secretly dumping it out.</p><p>The eight of them had been traveling together for about four months, now, and the portals were taking longer and longer to show up—maybe one every month or so. He was both grateful that they weren’t constantly moving from one person’s Hyrule to the next, and disappointed that he wouldn’t be seeing Malon anytime soon. On the other hand, when he finally did get to go back to his own Hyrule, he’d likely have <em>weeks</em> with his wife—and her delicious home cooking.</p><p>Which he <em>dearly</em> missed right about now.</p><p>“Uh… guys?” Wind piped up. “Do you hear that?”</p><p>Time strained his hearing. For a moment, nothing sounded particularly out of place. Crickets chirped, the fire crackled, a monster cried out in pain as blades clashed—wait. “Someone’s being attacked.” He stated suddenly.</p><p>Instantly, there was a weapon in every hand as camp was quickly abandoned—anything of importance was kept on their person.</p><p>They expected to find some civilian or knight fighting a monster or two. Some of them were preparing to find bodies. But they found none of those things. What they found instead was a cloaked figure wielding a wicked looking blade, with an old wooden shield on their right arm fighting against <em>six</em> Lizalfos. Oh, make that four—the stranger pulled a daring backflip before rushing in and taking out two of them with unreal speed.</p><p>Twilight knocked an arrow and hit one of the farther ones in the arm, drawing its attention. The stranger startled, barely bringing their shield up in time to block a spear. The shield <em>shattered</em> into hundreds of pieces, much to Time’s horror. Several splinters embedded themselves in the stranger’s arm, but they seemed to pay it no mind—as if such a thing was common.</p><p>They tapped a strange glowing rectangular device on their hip, even as they lashed out at one Lizalfos. A quick shine of blue light showed a second blade in the stranger’s other hand as they smoothly switched to full-on attack mode.</p><p>They fought dangerously—ferociously, like an animal. The Lizalfos they fought had black blood—from what Time could see. The fact that this stranger took out at least two black-blooded monsters alone and was only <em>mildly</em> injured spoke volumes of their skill.</p><p>In a matter of minutes, the battlefield was cleared of monsters. For a moment, all anyone could do was awkwardly stand there—socializing wasn’t exactly <em>any </em>Link’s strong suit.</p><p>“Are you okay? Oh! Your arm!” Sky made a step towards the hooded figure, who took a hasty step back. Their posture was wary and unsure. They let the cloak fall over their arm, hiding the injury from view. It didn’t escape Time’s notice that the stranger was still armed. “Hey, now. It’s okay, we aren’t going to hurt you. We heard the fighting and came to help.”</p><p>The stranger tapped on their device and their second weapon vanished in tendrils of blue light. They cautiously sheathed the one weapon, keeping a healthy distance likely in case of an attack.</p><p><em>‘Who are you?’</em> They signed. Time mentally thanked himself for ensuring that all of them were at least <em>moderately</em> proficient in sign. Better safe than sorry, in the unfortunately likely case someone got injured and couldn’t speak.</p><p>“My name is Sky. That’s Time, Twilight, and Legend. Over there’s Hyrule and Wind, and that’s Warriors and Four. We’re travelers, just like you.”</p><p>If the stranger found their names odd, they didn’t say anything. For a moment, it looked like they weren’t going to reply. <em>‘Link.’</em></p><p>Several of them shifted at the name. Was this another one of them? But why? They were in Twilight’s Hyrule right now, and when each of them joined, they’d been picked up from their home Hyrules.</p><p>“Tell me, Link, do you recognize this sword?” Sky asked, carefully pulling out the Master Sword. Link started badly, reaching a shaky hand out towards it for a moment before snatching it back, as if remembering that it wasn’t his.</p><p>Time still caught the faintest glow on the back of his hand. “We can explain back at the camp, while we tend to that arm of yours.” Time spoke up. Link tensed, ready to run at the drop of a hat.</p><p>That worried Time. Sure they all had their triggers and personal issues—and Hylia knows that Legend was more than leery when they first met—but none of them had been <em>this</em> wary. Nobody had been <em>this</em> skittish, as to think to run away even after seeing the Master Sword. Then again, this Link was probably torn suddenly from his own time and thrust into Twilight’s Hyrule with no warning or explanation. It was no wonder he was so paranoid.</p><p>He caught sight of unbelievably bright cerulean blue eyes beneath the hood that matched his equally blue tunic. They shone with an almost child-like curiosity, despite the wariness that lingered there.</p><p><em>‘I’m only coming for the explanation.’</em> He finally signed, and Time gave an internal sigh of relief. Obviously, this was another Hero of Courage, and if he ran off Time had no doubts that Hylia would make them find him before they could continue their journey. He did <em>not</em> want a repeat of their mad manhunt for Hyrule.</p><p>The walk back to camp was quiet, but tense. Before long, the comforting glow of their campfire came into view, along with the hastily (and gratefully) abandoned bowls of dinner.</p><p>Link eyed the bowls with what Time was<em> sure</em> was disgust. <em>‘Do I want to know?’</em></p><p>“Dinner.” Wind answered with a grimace.</p><p>Link nodded, accepting the answer as Hyrule came back with medical supplies and a potion. “We need to get those splinters out before a potion can take effect.</p><p>Link just shook his head as he sat on a log and started to casually pick out the splinters.</p><p>“You shouldn’t do that! You could make it worse!” Hyrule quietly reprimanded, but Link was already done. He gave him a flat look that somehow conveyed mild irritation. “Fine.” Hyrule huffed.</p><p>Time saw the glimmer of amusement in Link’s eyes. “As for that explanation…” He looked over at Sky. He was much better at explaining this stuff anyways.</p><p>“So… here’s the basics of it.” Sky started, sitting across from their newest member. “My nickname is Sky, but my real name is also Link. All of us are Link. We’re all Heroes who hold the Spirit of Courage from different timelines. Hylia brought us together for some reason, and now she’s brought you to us, too.” He paused to let Link take it in and ask questions if he wanted to. His hand twitched, but ultimately remained still. “I’m the oldest—technically. I forged the Master Sword. The spirit inside is named Fi, and she gave us all our titles, which is where we get our nicknames from. These monsters have been appearing all across Hyrule—all of our Hyrules—with black blood and unreal strength and vitality. Like those monsters you fought earlier.”</p><p>Link stared at Sky for a moment. <em>‘A strange black portal appeared out of nowhere and sucked me in. Next thing I knew, I was here, in this forest. I’ve been here for a day and a half.’</em> He paused. <em>‘So this really isn’t my Hyrule?’</em></p><p>“It’s mine.” Twilight spoke up. “I’m the Hero of Twilight, but you can call me Twilight.” He smiled. “We’re in the Faron Woods.”</p><p>Link looked off towards the light in the distance. <em>‘What’s that glow?’</em></p><p>“That’s Castle Town. It’s so big, you can see its glow from miles away.” Twilight grinned.</p><p><em>‘So why am I here?’</em> Link asked, looking back at Sky. <em>‘Surely, with eight heroes, any enemy is doomed?’</em></p><p>“Hylia brought you to us. That means we need you. You’re a hero just like we are—it’s in your blood. You hold the Hero’s Spirit, too.” Sky smiled. “So? What do you say? Will you join us on our journey to save Hyrule?”</p><p>Link stared at each of them in turn. Time could see the conflict in his eyes. He understood that hesitation—this Link’s journey couldn’t have been easy (none of their journeys were easy).</p><p>“Sometimes, one more comrade can make all the difference in a battle.” Warriors spoke up. Link’s gaze locked on to him for a moment. Time watched as the newcomer’s gaze hardened in determination.</p><p><em>‘I can’t promise I’ll be of much help, but I’ll do what I can. If you’ll have me.’ </em>Link signed, and several people smiled.</p><p>Sky held the Master Sword out to Link. “Go on—Fi will tell us your nickname.”</p><p>Link hesitated. Time recognized that look in his eye, to an extent. He didn’t <em>want</em> the Master Sword. He understood the weight that came with that blade and wanted nothing to do with it.</p><p>Link took the sword nonetheless, flinching a bit as if he expected some kind of repercussion. To their shock, the glow of the sword dimmed greatly, until it was merely a weak shimmer. Several old cracks and chips appeared on the blade, and the hilt lost its luster. Chunks were missing from the edges, and even the winged guard on the sword was badly damaged. The sword looked <em>ancient</em> in the hands of this new Link. He hastily handed it back to a shocked Sky with a quick apology in sign.</p><p>“No, don’t be sorry—give me a sec, and I’ll see what happened.” Sky reassured as the blade instantly brightened in his hands. Cracks mended and colors brightened until it looked like the same blade Time himself had pulled from the pedestal all those years ago. After a few tense moments, Sky relaxed with a smile. “I see. You’re from <em>very</em> far into the future. It’s nothing you did wrong—Fi says the sword’s just lost a lot of power over time. You’re from several <em>thousand</em> years ahead of any of us.”</p><p>“Woah! Several <em>thousand?!</em>” Wind bounced happily.</p><p>Link startled. <em>‘So… I didn’t damage it?’</em></p><p>“Damage?! No! Fi wants to apologize—she says she’s grown very weak and weary in your time, and wasn’t able to serve you as well as she should have.”</p><p>Link seemed to hesitate for a moment. <em>‘So it’s not because I’m unworthy?’</em></p><p>Sky recoiled as if he was slapped. Time felt similarly. For as many insecurities as they all had between them, none of them had ever felt <em>unworthy</em> of the Master Sword—not even Four, who’d never wielded it before their journey together. The fact that this new Link felt unworthy bothered them all more than they’d like to admit. What kind of journey had he had to make him think that?</p><p>“Of <em>course</em> you’re worthy.” Sky stated after coming out of his momentary shock. “Fi calls you her master, same as the rest of us. If she didn’t think you were worthy, then she wouldn’t have let you pull her in the first place.” He smiled softly. “Nor would she have bestowed a title upon you. It’s nice to meet you, Hero of the Wild.”</p><p>Hero of the Wild, huh? Time wondered if it had anything to do with his unconventional fighting style they saw earlier. It certainly <em>was</em> wild enough. He thought he saw a glimpse of a smile beneath the cloak as the newly dubbed Wild’s shoulders relaxed.</p><p>“So… what’s with the hood?” Wind asked, adding a pout. Time resisted the urge to snort—he was pulling the child card and Wild wouldn’t realize it until he got to know Wind better.</p><p><em>‘It makes me feel safer.’</em> Wild answered after a moment.</p><p>“But you’re safe here.” Wind tilted his head. Time was about to reprimand him to leave the newest Link alone, when Wild signed to Wind again.</p><p><em>‘It’s just…’ </em>He sighed and shook his head. <em>‘I suppose you’ll see it eventually.’</em></p><p>Wild hesitated a moment before reaching up and dropping the hood. The first thing Time noticed was his hair. It was an eye-catching sun kissed blond that shone in what little light there was. It was also the longest by far of all of theirs, pulled up into a high ponytail with two bits left out to frame either side of his face. Even pulled back, his hair still reached halfway down his back. He wondered for a moment how he’d gotten it all into the hood.</p><p>Then Time saw his <em>face</em>.</p><p>He tried not to stare, but it was fairly hard not to. They all had their share of physical scars—it was a given considering their lives—but Wild’s was <em>something else.</em> They looked like burn scars. They covered the entire left side of his face—even his ear!—and vanished down the neck of his sky blue tunic.</p><p>After he looked past the scars, Time felt sick. He was <em>young</em>. Maybe sixteen? He was a <em>child</em>, there was no need for such scarring on a <em>kid</em>! He cursed Hylia in his mind.</p><p>“Wow! Did it hurt?” Wind asked, tactless as ever. Hyrule shot Wind a look, but Wild smiled softly.</p><p><em>‘Yeah, it did. But I’m okay, now.’</em> Wild reassured the youngest as he pulled out his strange tablet.</p><p>“What’s that?” Hyrule asked.</p><p><em>‘It’s called a Sheikah Slate—it’s ancient Sheikah technology. I can store all kinds of things in here, including supplies, food, and weapons.’</em> Wild explained. Now that they could see his expressions, Time realized he was very animated. He smiled a lot and had an easygoing air about him.</p><p>He wondered if he was physically unable to speak due to the scarring on his neck.</p><p>Wild swiped a finger across the surface of the device, and the images changed. He tapped something and a few ingredients formed in his hand via the same tendrils of blue light he produced the weapons from. Useful.</p><p>He then turned towards the fire and set up a cooking pot. Time’s stomach dropped—he wasn’t sure if he could handle another bout of that… <em>sludge</em>.</p><p>“Oh, it’s okay—we’ve already eaten!” Warriors quickly spoke up.</p><p>Wild shot the leftovers an unimpressed look.<em> ‘I insist—as a thank you for treating my injuries earlier.’</em> Before anyone else could protest, he poured milk into the pot along with a few other things that Time wasn’t sure he could name. He thought he saw some kind of herbs go in, but he wasn’t the best at botany.</p><p>After several minutes—and wary glances casted at one another at the horrific thought of <em>another </em>nightmarish dish—a mouth-watering aroma floated around them, making several stomachs—Sky’s included—grumble greedily.</p><p>“Do you think he can <em>actually</em> cook?” Four whispered to Legend.</p><p>“I won’t believe it until I taste it.” Legend muttered back, his mouth set in a thin line.</p><p>Wild sent Legend a sly smirk and portioned out a small amount into a dish. <em>‘Go on, give it a taste test.’</em></p><p>Legend hesitantly took the bowl, eyeing the creamy lumpy substance with distrust, despite the smell. Everyone leaned in as Legend finally tilted the bowl, taking a very tiny sip.</p><p>He pulled away, looking at it with shock. For a moment, Time thought it might’ve been <em>that</em> bad, until Legend greedily slurped the rest of it, eyeing the pot like it was made of golden rupees.</p><p>“He can cook.” Legend said numbly. The words echoed amongst the others like ripples on a still lake.</p><p><em>‘You mean none of you can cook?’</em> Wild asked, shock evident on his face as he passed out full bowls to the others.</p><p>Time took one careful spoonful of the stew. <em>Goddesses</em>, it was almost better than his <em>wife’s</em> cooking! He found his muscles relaxing as the heat from the broth spread throughout his body, warming him. His eyes fluttered shut in pure bliss, and in that moment, nothing existed but that damn bowl of stew.</p><p>“We’re keeping him.” Twilight stated without room for argument (not that anyone <em>would</em> argue after tasting the stew).</p><p>“WE CAN FINALLY EAT FOOD AGAIN!” Wind cried in joy.</p><p><em>‘You guys are taking this too far.’</em> Wild tried to reason, but Time shot him a look.</p><p>“That,” he gestured to the bowls of… was one of their dinners crawling away? Did Sky accidentally create a freaking Chuchu out of <em>dinner</em>?! What the hell was <em>in</em> that?! He took a moment to regain his composure (managing to do so better than the others who silently watched the blob sneak into the forest.) “That’s what we’ve been eating for the last four months.” He finally finished.</p><p>Wild stared at them incredulously. <em>‘From now on, I’m taking over cooking duty. If I don’t I fear for your lives.’</em></p><p>Warriors nodded sagely. “So do we.”</p><p>Time took a moment to study Wild as he conversed animatedly with Warriors and Hyrule about something. He’d been rightly cautious from the start about this strange group of eight highly trained warriors jumping to help him in a fight, but he calmed down relatively quickly.</p><p>He was somewhat relieved to see that glimmer of wariness in the kid’s eye. He was being friendly, but he wasn’t being open. He was being honest, but Time noticed that he stated nothing personal. The only things they knew about him was that he was from very far into the future, badly scarred, a fantastic cook, thought himself unworthy of the Master Sword (that deeply bothered Time), and was The Hero of the Wild.</p><p>In retrospect, it was very little information. Wild was already fitting in nicely, despite the fact that his defenses were up. Time had to commend him—he was <em>very</em> good at redirection. By presenting an open and carefree personality, the others completely forgot the typical journey-story pestering that greeted a new face.</p><p>Wild seemed like a very private individual. Time could respect that, so he let it be. So long as nothing came back and bit them in the ass, he was fine with Wild keeping to himself.</p><p>Twilight, in particular, seemed quite protective of their newest addition. Time idly wondered if it was the scars or the age. He knew Twilight was a sucker for children (even the older ones).</p><p>“What’s your Hyrule like?” Wind asked eagerly.</p><p>Wild thought for a moment. <em>‘I’m not sure how to describe it to you—I don’t have any other Hyrules to compare it to. Once I see some of yours, I’ll let you know.’</em></p><p>“Like I said earlier, we’re in my Hyrule right now.” Twilight spoke up. “We were heading towards Castle Town when you dropped in.” He chuckled a bit.</p><p><em>‘I’d love to see it!’</em> Wild grinned, perking up like a child.</p><p>“You should!” Wind bounced, equally excited. “It’s so colorful! There are so many people and shops and things to do!”</p><p>
  <em>‘What’s your Hyrule like, Wind?’</em>
</p><p>“Oh! My Hyrule is all under the sea! I’m a pirate, and I sail a really big ship!” He grinned before going off on a tangent of his world.</p><p>Time smiled. “All right, guys. I think that’s enough. We should get some rest, it’s getting late.”</p><p>“Aww! Five more minutes?” Wind pleaded.</p><p>“No.” Time sent him a stern look. “I’m taking first watch. Twi, you’ll take second, and Warriors will take third. Wild, we’ll start incorporating you into the watch schedule soon, so enjoy the rest while you can.” He warned, and the newcomer just gave him a confident smirk and a thumbs up.</p><p>The others all settled into their bedrolls, and Wild… Wild climbed a tree. “Isn’t that uncomfortable?” Warriors asked.</p><p>
  <em>‘I always sleep like this when I’m on the road. It makes it harder for enemies to sneak up on me.’</em>
</p><p>Time wondered why he and whoever went on his journey with him didn’t just keep watch like they did, but he figured it wasn’t his place to ask. Besides, perhaps Wild only had the Master Sword to accompany him, like Sky. A sword couldn’t exactly keep watch for him. Especially if she was as old in Wild’s time as Sky said.</p><p>He shook the thought as he settled in for his watch, listening to the sounds of eight others falling asleep. Time smiled softly to himself. He may hate Hylia, but he was grateful that she gave him this family, even if it is only temporary. And he’d make damn sure Wild became a part of it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Castle Town</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wild's first trip to Castle Town is a little overwhelming, and Wild himself is having trouble deciding what to buy.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <strong>Hello~! Welcome back to Chapter 2!! Hope you guys like it. A huge thanks to my LU server friends~! Please leave a review if you've got the time. :3 Updates will be slow and few and far between, but know that I NEVER abandon a story. ^^</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>~SilvermistAnimeLover/K.R. Starktower/Hero of the Deathly Loneliness</strong>
  </em>
</p><hr/>
<hr/><p>Time was used to being the first one awake, unless someone had a nightmare. It wasn’t uncommon, but most of them could fall back asleep after a bit. So he was more than a little surprised to see Wild up and about, working on breakfast.</p><p>Time walked over to Warriors, who’d been the last shift of the night. “How long’s he been up?”</p><p>“A few hours.” Warriors answered with a sigh. “Woke up from what looked like a pretty nasty nightmare. He startled so badly he actually fell out of the tree. He landed on his feet in a battle stance, though—I was kinda impressed.”</p><p>Looked like Wild wasn’t an exception to the nightmare game, either. He wondered just what he’d seen on his journey, but it was too soon to ask. They’d only just met, after all.</p><p>Time stretched out his old aching bones and approached their newest member. “Anything I can do to help with breakfast? I may not be able to cook, but I can help prepare some ingredients.”</p><p>Wild smiled up at him from his seat on a tree stump. He gave a shake of his head as he gestured to the fluffy omelets sizzling happily. “Ah, they’re already ready.” Time mentally thanked the Goddesses for sending them someone who could <em>cook</em>. Wild nodded, grin widening as he gestured towards the others.</p><p>Time nodded, understanding Wild’s silent message, and turned to wake Twilight, who was already blearily blinking awake. Most of the camp was, actually—roused by the smell of Wild’s food. He stifled a chuckle as Hyrule and Four staggered forward like the undead.</p><p>Wild grinned brightly as the half-asleep heroes complimented his culinary skills. They started making a game plan over breakfast. “So we’re heading to Castle Town, right?” Hyrule asked around a wide yawn.</p><p>“Yeah, we need to stock up on supplies.” Four nodded as he double-checked his bag to make sure he had everything packed. “Wild, where’s your stuff?” He asked, noticing that Wild had no bags. The scarred youth just smirked and tapped his Slate. “Oh, right. That must be nice.”</p><p>“Speaking of resupplying, your shield broke, right? We should get you a new one. You shouldn’t be without a shield.” Warriors looked towards Wild, who perked up at the sound of something new. He nodded eagerly.</p><p>Wild’s sign was a bit different from any of theirs—likely due to the large gap in eras—but Time was able to make out <em>two shields</em> and <em>badly damaged</em>. Warriors, who didn’t know much sign beyond the basics and military signs, turned to Time for a translation, horribly lost.</p><p>“He says he’s got two shields, but they’re badly damaged.” Time made a mental note to pull Warriors aside and teach him more detailed sign, and also pull Wild aside and teach him more of their sign. If Wild really <em>couldn’t</em> speak, then they needed a more fluent method of communication. Sky was also fairly dubious at sign, so he’d probably need some help there, too.</p><p>“Yeesh.” Warriors winced. “You should take better care of your shields. They <em>are</em> kind of your last line of defense.”</p><p>Wild gave a sheepish smile with a hand motion that Time took to mean ‘I’m used to it’.</p><p>“As long as your weapons hold out.” Hyrule sighed, catching the drift of what Wild was saying. When Wild didn’t reply, several eyes widened, incredulous. “You’re <em>kidding</em>!”</p><p>Wild blinked owlishly. <em>‘It’s common.’</em> He signed slowly, catching onto the fact that Time and the others were having difficulty with his native sign. <em>‘Not common here?’</em></p><p>“No, I’ve rarely heard of someone’s weapon breaking on them.” Warriors looked rightfully frightened for Wild. “How many of your weapons are close to breaking?”</p><p>Wild held up two fingers with a shrug. Time could practically <em>hear</em> the ‘only’ implied.</p><p>“Oh, just two. No worries then.” Legend shook his head, sarcasm dripping from his words. “If they’re damaged that badly, why hold on to them?”</p><p>Wild mimed throwing something with a shrug.</p><p>“You <em>throw</em> weapons?!” Four gasped. Time hadn’t heard of someone using such a desperate move as a viable strategy.</p><p>Wild hesitantly nodded his head, unsure of why everyone was reacting so strongly to this. Time mentally groaned. If one’s weapon breaking was <em>that</em> common in Wild’s Hyrule, then what kinds of blacksmithing techniques had been lost? Or maybe it was a situation where only the extremely rich could afford weapons, and the poor had to scavenge them from elsewhere? He really hoped not, it sounded far too similar to Hyrule’s Hyrule for his tastes.</p><p>“I think your Hyrule is a little different than ours.” Twilight finally said. “Come on, I’ll show you how we do things in <em>my</em> Hyrule.” He grinned, and Wild’s eyes shone with an eager curiosity.</p><p>It only took an hour and a half of walking to reach the gates of Castle Town. Wild slowed down quite a bit to stare at the castle in awe.</p><p>“What’s wrong? Never been to a Castle Town before?” Hyrule asked with a teasing grin.</p><p>Wild just shook his head, eyes wide with awe. Time could understand. Some Hyrule Castles were more extravagant than others, and Twilight’s was certainly grand. Hell, Wind didn’t even <em>have</em> a castle, from what he could remember.</p><p>“Come on, then. Stay close so you don’t get lost. Castle Town can be a bit confusing.” Twilight smiled.</p><p>Castle Town was slow, today. There weren’t nearly as many people wondering around as normal, likely due to the colder weather and looming storm clouds. People were more prone to stay indoors with their fires on days like this, but it suited the traveling heroes just fine.</p><p>Normally, they’d split up to cover more ground, but everyone was still a little edgy due to the Lizalfos incident yesterday. They had black blood, and normally the group would switch soon after defeating a group black-blooded enemies like that. If a switch <em>did</em> occur while they were in Castle Town, they wanted to minimize any chances of being separated. So this time, they’d stick together.</p><p>Wild kept staring at everything in awe—especially the people and stalls. Time smiled to himself as he purchased a few items from a nearby stand, making sure that nobody wondered too far. Wind was pestering Warriors about some sweet buns another stand had, while Four was eyeing the blacksmith shop across the way his eyes seeming to shift between different colors as he debated with himself over something.</p><p>That was when Time noticed Wild getting a little antsy. His eyes sparkled with curiosity and a thirst for adventure, but the kid’s eyes also scoped the rooftops and walls for escape routes.</p><p>“Twi.” He caught his protégé’s attention and gestured discreetly to Wild. He nodded and approached the younger hero.</p><p>“What’s wrong?”</p><p><em>‘Too many people.’</em> Wild signed, a slight tremor to his hands. Twilight frowned lightly with a nod and led him to a more secluded area of Castle Town.</p><p>“Hey, where’s Wild and Twilight going?” Wind asked as he rejoined them with a sweet bun and a pouting Warriors.</p><p>“Wild’s a little overwhelmed with the amount of people. Twilight’s taking him somewhere to decompress.” Time answered, a light frown on his own face.</p><p>“Too many people?” Legend raised an eyebrow. “It’s practically dead today.”</p><p>“Maybe his Hyrule isn’t as densely populated?” Sky asked. “I remember being overwhelmed when I first saw some of your Hyrules. It’s a lot more people than Skyloft.”</p><p>“But he’s from so far into the future.” Four shook his head. “Shouldn’t there be <em>more</em> people?”</p><p>“Not necessarily.” Warriors chimed in. “Things like war and natural disasters can curb a population pretty quickly. It’s possible that something happened to cut down the populace.”</p><p>“Do you think it could’ve been Ganon?” Hyrule suggested quietly.</p><p>“I’m sure Wild will tell us when he’s ready.” Time spoke up. “Besides, they’re coming back, and I imagine Wild would appreciate you not talking about him while he’s not here.” He gestured towards Twilight and Wild who were making their way back. Twilight was signing to Wild, teaching him some of the more common signs in their era.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Wind asked as the two came back into hearing distance.</p><p>Wild nodded with a sheepish smile, though there was a hint of weariness there. <em>‘Too many people.’</em> He repeated.</p><p>“So you really <em>haven’t</em> been to your Castle Town before?” Hyrule furrowed his brows. Wild looked like he was going to answer when his attention was drawn to a stand with jewelry.</p><p>Twilight snorted. “Didn’t take you for the beauty type.”</p><p>Wild grinned and tucked some of his hair back, showing off some rather pretty amber earrings cut into the shape of a maple leaf. <em>‘Protection.’</em> He explained.</p><p>“Ah, well these ones don’t offer any protection.” Twilight smiled. “They’re just for looks.” Wild gave him a confused and mildly affronted look, as if the concept of jewelry purely for appearance was offensive.</p><p>Legend snorted, amused. “Come on, we’re wasting daylight. We need to actually <em>buy</em> things before that storm breaks.”</p><p>Time eyed the looming dark clouds on the horizon. Legend was right. While being caught in a storm in Castle Town was immensely better than being caught in a storm out in the wilds, he still wanted their supplies restocked before another switch dropped them Hylia knew where.</p><p>Wild was handling himself better, now, and Time wondered if he was adjusting or just getting better at hiding his discomfort. Time went with Wild into the shop that specialized in spices and cooking supplies. He had a feeling that the kid was more impulsive than not, so he wanted to be there to make sure he didn’t go <em>too</em> overbord.</p><p>“Welcome! Is there anything I can help you find?” A tall burly man walked over from behind the counter. He started walking towards Time, who held his hands up in surrender.</p><p>“Don’t look at me. I can’t cook to save my life—I leave that to my wife.” He chuckled. “And to my friend over here.” He gestured towards Wild, who was eyeing a few of the bottles that lined the shelves.</p><p>“I see.” The man grinned and headed towards Wild. “That’s a good choice for seafood. It’s got a nice peppery flavor that accentuates the smoky taste of a good grilled fish.”</p><p>Wild perked up at that, snagging one of the bottles. He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but whatever voice he may have had caught in his throat. He quickly shut it and gestured to another bottle.</p><p>That was interesting. Maybe Wild <em>wasn’t</em> mute? Or perhaps it was a recent development? It was entirely possible that it was a social anxiety issue—Goddesses knew that they’d all had some sort of similar issue at some point.</p><p>Time let his mind wander as Wild dragged the shopkeeper around and had him explain all the different spices. The kid looked like he was on cloud nine, and considering the fact that this stuff would be used in their food, Time wasn’t overly concerned about a heavy basket. It’s not like Wild would let it go to waste, anyhow.</p><p>“You ready?” He asked when Wild rejoined Time. The other nodded with a wide grin as he stepped outside and stored dozens of spice bottles in his Slate.</p><p>“You two good?” Legend walked over. “We were going to restock on arrows, but we didn’t know if you guys needed any.”</p><p>“I’m good.” Time answered. “Wild?” The kid perked up again, his grin widening as he nodded fiercely. “Guess that answers that question.” Time followed Legend towards the archery shop.</p><p>The moment they stepped inside, they were hit with the smell of wood and polish, lined with an undertone of iron. Bows lined the walls of many different models and colors. Some advertised faster shots while others advertised more power or accuracy. One even came as a bundle with a scope.</p><p>Barrels and crates of arrows were all over the place. Some had iron tips, while others had wood or even bone made from monsters. The fletching differed between models, too. Some were made for rainy shots while others were weighted to fly straighter in high winds.</p><p>Wild’s eyes were wide and sparkled in awe. Time wondered if he’d ever seen so many different kinds of arrows before.</p><p>“I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but just stick to what you know best.” Time advised. Not all Hyrules offered this sheer amount of arrow and bow variety, so he could understand Wild’s hesitation.</p><p>The boy nodded and started testing the weight of different arrows. He finally settled on three different kinds—the weighted ones for high wind, bone-tipped arrows which advertised lightness for longer range, and the traditional iron-tipped arrows with triple fletching for a straighter shot.</p><p>“Will this be all?” The shopkeeper asked, eying the bundle of each. Wild then turned and gestured to the crates that he grabbed them from. The shop keep’s eyes widened. “You mean you want to buy the entire <em>stock</em>?!”</p><p>Wild nodded with a massive grin, and Time decided it was time to step in. “Wild, I highly doubt you need <em>that</em> many arrows.” He crossed his arms as Wild looked at him with mild horror. Time felt like he was looking at a kid who was being denied birthday cake on his birthday.</p><p>“We’ll take thirty of each.” Time turned towards the shopkeeper, who nodded and started bundling up the arrows.</p><p>Wild then gave Time the most adorable pair of puppy dog eyes he’d ever seen (which was oddly more convincing than Wolfie’s). Too bad for Wild that Time had to deal with Skullkid and Malon’s puppy eyes for years. “You can pick up more next time we’re in this Hyrule. Thirty of each is <em>plenty</em>. Even Twilight doesn’t go through that many, and he’s a <em>terrible</em> shot.”</p><p>With that settled, Time dragged Wild out of the archery shop.</p><p>Everyone gathered back together in front of the blacksmith’s shop. Four was rocking on his feet, eager to go inside. He always seemed to like comparing his own smithing knowledge to the techniques of others.</p><p>Time watched Wild as they entered, and it was like the Archery shop but <em>worse</em>. The kid was practically jumping in place as he bolted around the shop, admiring all the swords and shields.</p><p>“You act like you’ve never seen a new weapon.” Four commented offhandedly, to which Wild shook his head. “Wait, you’ve never owned a new sword?” Wild shook his head again.</p><p>“How do you get your weapons, then? Secondhand?” Warriors puzzled.</p><p>Wild was going to answer when the shopkeeper came over. “I see you’re admiring that set.” He gestured to the simple knight’s sword and shield.</p><p>Wild nodded, testing the weight of the sword on his hand with a goofy grin.</p><p>“It’s normally 5,000 rupees each, but for you I’ll toss in the set for only 8,500 rupees!”</p><p>Time knew that was bullshit. He was upping the prices, and the sour look on Twilight’s face told him that he was correct in assuming so. That sword was a simple knight’s sword—worth 3,000 rupees at <em>most</em>. It looked somewhat fancy, but an experienced eye could tell that the gold was paint. It would flake within a week, the way they fought. It was more of a display item rather than something for fighting, though it did look fairly sharp. He was trying to rip them off.</p><p>Time was about to call him out on it, when Wild nodded and pulled out a pouch of rupees, surprising the shopkeeper. He passed him the 8,500 rupees without an ounce of hesitation and took the sword and shield happily.</p><p>Once they were outside, Hyrule started lecturing Wild on spending so much money without even attempting to barter.</p><p><em>‘B-A-R-D-E-R?’ </em>Wild questioned, unsure of the sign for the word—never mind the fact that he’d misspelled it.</p><p>“It’s where you attempt to get the shop to lower their prices.” Twilight sighed. “The man purposefully upped the price for you, likely expecting you to either barter or be suckered into paying the full amount—which you did.”</p><p>Wild ducked his head, bringing his hood back up as he signed a quick but heartfelt apology.</p><p>“Just how much money do you think we have?!” Legend glared.</p><p>Wild’s head lowered even further, and he was starting to shrink in on himself. “Legend, that’s enough.” Time stated. “Wild, I know you’re used to managing your own finances, but right now, we’re all a team. We <em>share</em> our money, which is why Legend and Hyrule are so frustrated.” He explained. Wild blinked up, a look of ‘<em>Oh</em>’ on his face.</p><p>“So let’s touch base—how much money do you have left after that?” Twilight picked up.</p><p>Wild held up three fingers, and then six. “Thirty six rupees?” Wind guessed. Wild shook his head before bringing out his Slate. He turned it towards the group and pointed to a little number in the upper right corner of the screen. There, beside the image of a green rupee, was the number 36,924. The group collectively choked.</p><p>Warriors whistled appreciatively. “You’ve got <em>connections</em>.”</p><p>Wild shook his head, and swiped the screen, showing rubies, sapphires, opals and even <em>diamonds</em>. But they were all still embedded in rock.</p><p>“You <em>mine</em> for ores? Like a Goron?” Legend guessed, and Wild nodded.</p><p>“Mining?” Wind asked.</p><p>“It’s where you dig around in mountains and caverns for valuable ores and gemstones to sell or build with.” Hyrule explained.</p><p>“Huh. Can you take me sometime?” Sky asked, and Wild grinned, nodding his head.</p><p>At the very least, they wouldn’t have to worry about money for a while.</p><p>A rain droplet hit Time’s closed eyelid, and he glanced up at the sky. “We should find an inn for the night.”</p><p>“I know just the place—this way.” Twilight quickly led the group through the twisting back alleyways of Castle Town. They entered an inn just as the storm let loose.</p><p>“Thanks.” Four grinned at Twilight, who nodded.</p><p>“It’s a little expensive, here, but they should have enough rooms for each of us—if we double up.”</p><p>“Shouldn’t be an issue.” Time noted aloud, as Legend glanced in his Rupee bag with a wince.</p><p>“I got this.” Warriors patted Legend on the shoulder, a confident smirk on his face as he brushed his hair out of his eyes. He made his way towards the front desk and smiled charmingly at the woman. “Hey, there. Afraid I’m new to town. Do you have any rooms available, cutie?”</p><p>“I’m afraid I’ve only got four available right now.” She hardly spared him a glance, which must’ve been a blow to the man’s pride. She was likely used to people trying to charm their way into a discount—which was <em>exactly</em> what he was trying to do.</p><p>“That’s fine, we’ll take what you’ve got.” He recovered remarkably quickly, and turned up the charm. “That necklace is beautiful—It really brings out the color in your eyes.”</p><p>“It’s 80 per room.” She didn’t miss a beat. Time resisted the urge to snort, though Legend had no such reservations.</p><p>320 rupees in total, huh? Time was about to dig out his bag when Wild handed over one golden rupee and one red one. The woman blinked in surprise—most people didn’t even own <em>silver</em> rupees, let alone gold ones. “R-right. Here’s the keys—return them by noon tomorrow.” She handed the keys to Wild who gave her a bright grin that had the woman blushing madly—something that Warriors had failed to do despite his attempts at wooing her.</p><p>Time felt the edge of his lip curl up as Warriors pouted. Looked like Wild was a natural charmer, even when he wasn’t trying. The kid signed a thank you, and the woman handed a slip of paper to Wild before busying herself in the back room.</p><p>“What’d she give ya?” Warriors asked as he looked over Wild’s shoulder. He let out a small whimper and dramatically grasped at his chest. “Why?! I tried <em>so hard</em>!!”</p><p>Legend, curious, walked over to see what had Warriors throwing a hissy fit. He then burst out laughing as Wild’s cheeks tinged red. “She gave you her <em>room number</em>!! Oh, Hylia! She <em>likes</em> you! This is <em>great!</em>”</p><p>“Be nice Legend.” Twilight reminded him.</p><p>“I’m not saying Wild’s not someone who can catch a girl, I just find it funny that he wasn’t even <em>trying</em> and yet Warriors was <em>still</em> outdone!”</p><p>“Maybe we should get to our rooms? Sky’s falling asleep and <em>he’s heavy</em>!” Four grumbled, doing his best to keep Sky upright as the Chosen Hero fought to keep his eyes open.</p><p>“All right. Twilight, you’re with me.” Time spoke up. “Warriors, you and Hyrule can bunk together along with Wind. Legend, you and Four can share. Wild, you’ll share with Sky.”</p><p>He figured that Wild was a light sleeper—more so than the others, at least—and an early riser. Sky tended to sleep so deeply that he hardly made a sound. He was also very difficult to wake up in the mornings, meaning that Wild wouldn’t have to worry about waking up the Chosen Hero come morning.</p><p>Everyone nodded and made their way into their rooms. Time let his arm cover his eye as he laid down in the bed, the sound of the storm surrounding them. An old tune stuck itself firmly in his mind, and he fell asleep haunted by the distant memory of the Song of Storms.</p><hr/>
<hr/>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>
    <em>OMAKE</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Jared was a simple man. He made bows and he made arrows and sold them in Castle Town. He saw all kinds of people come in and out of his shop—some more so than others. But that blond kid with the scarred face was an unusual one, for sure. He was rather disappointed that the kid’s dad (at least, he <em>thought</em> he was his father. Older brother, maybe?) denied his request to purchase all those arrows.</p><p>It would’ve kept Jared’s family fed for a few months, that’s for sure. Either way, he couldn’t fault the guy for keeping the kid to thirty of each—how would he even carry that much anyways?!</p><p>So when that same quiet kid from earlier came back in, Jared was more than a little surprised. “Welcome back. May I help you?” The boy grinned and pointed to the crates of arrows he wanted earlier.</p><p>“You want all those arrows?” The kid nodded and tilted his head, as if asking if there was more. “I’ve got one more crate of each in the back—but that’s a lot of rupees. Even just one crate will cost you—”</p><p>Jared cut himself off when he saw the kid open a <em>pouch</em> of golden rupees. This kid was <em>loaded</em>!! But unlike a lot of other shop keeps, he wasn’t about to raise his prices just because of that. He liked this kid, and if Jared could keep him coming back to <em>his</em> shop, then there’d be no doubt that he’d provide him a stable income.</p><p>“I guess that solves that.” He grinned and took the payment. “Tell ya what? I like you, kid! I’ll throw in a bow for free! Take whatever one you want.” The boy’s eyes brightened considerably as he surveyed his options. “What’s your name?”</p><p><em>W–I–L–D</em>.</p><p>“Wild, huh? Good name.” It was an odd name, and Jared wasn’t fluent in sign by any means. He knew the alphabet, and that was about it. But now he knew the name of his <em>favorite</em> customer. And he wouldn’t forget it. “My name’s Jared. I own this place. Come by anytime—I’m always open for you.”</p><p>The kid beamed and thanked him.</p><p>Yeah, Jared would go out of his way for this kid—because he’d be damned before he let this kid shop at another archery shop.</p><p>And if the kid’s dad ever asked him about it? He’d deny it. Customer confidentiality and all that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Trust</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <em>A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR, everybody! Let's hope 2021 is better than 2020 was. And let's also hope that this pandemic ends sometime soon, because I'm starting to go a little stircrazy despite working all the time. </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>At any rate, I bring thee a new chapter of my LU fic, Alone We Fight. I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out the next chapter, so the next update may take a bit. </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>On another note, I have a New Year's Challenge for everyone! I challenge you to do one act of random kindness each month! It could be something simple like complimenting someone or having a conversation with someone (or even making a gift!). Or it could be paying for some stranger's coffee. Whatever it may be, do it for someone you don't know. If we want a kinder world, we must first put that kindness we wish to see into the world ourselves. Become the change you'd like to see in the world. (unless, of course, that change involves Ganon taking over the world, in which case please don't). </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>To my Hetalia fans: I have not forsaken you. I am still working on my Hetalia stories, I promise. (just very... very slowly) </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>To my BnHA fans: I updated a few stories just last week, y'all know I'm not dead. :P </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>To my Rise of the Guardians readers (however few you may be): I will update the story.... eventually. I just need to figure out how to go about the movie scenes without infringing on copyright stuff that'll get the story taken down. </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>That said, Please enjoy this new chapter! </em>
  </strong>
</p><hr/>
<hr/><p>The morning dawned dim and cold with a light drizzle still hazing the outside world. Time mentally sighed as he stretched his aching bones and rubbed out his throbbing joints. He <em>hated</em> growing old. For a moment, he eyed his sleeping protégé with mild envy. Ah, to be young again.</p><p>A sudden urge that he’d rarely felt since childhood made itself known in his mind. For a moment, he thought about being mature and ignoring the thought.</p><p>But where was the fun in that? He smirked to himself as he went to the window and held out a mug, catching the cold water falling off the eaves outside. It may have been rather juvenile, but even <em>Time</em> was a kid at heart. <em>Sometimes.</em></p><p>It didn’t take much. Unlike Legend, who would torment Warriors by dumping the entire contents of the cup on the captain, Time just dripped a few tiny droplets on the scalp of the sleeping hero.</p><p>After a few minutes of repeating the action, Twilight shivered, and abruptly startled awake. Time hid his smirk behind the cup of water, pretending to take a drink. Twilight glared at him, hand itching his damp scalp.</p><p>Who said Time couldn’t play pranks? Just because he was the most responsible didn’t mean he was <em>always</em> as stern as they made him out to be. Contrary to popular belief, Time played pranks—he was just sneakier about it.</p><p>“Good, you’re awake. We should head out soon. The others should be waking before long.”</p><p>“You poured <em>water</em> on me.” Twilight accused.</p><p>“I did nothing of the sort.” Time denied, face impassive. It wasn’t a lie—he didn’t <em>pour</em> water on him… He <em>dripped</em> water on him. “Perhaps the roof has a leak?” Twilight glanced towards the roof with uncertainty as Time left the room with a low chuckle.</p><p>As expected, most of the others were awake and in the lobby. Wild had even managed to awaken Sky—mostly. The boys tended to be a tad earlier to rise when they slept in a safe environment, like an inn.</p><p>“Wow, you actually got Sky up!” Wind grinned as he looked at the sleepily glaring Sky.</p><p>“He cheated.” Sky accused, and Wild snickered, shaking his head.</p><p>“What’d he do?” Warriors asked, curious.</p><p>“He bribed me.” Sky huffed. Wild’s grin widened, taking on a slightly feral tinge as he held up a pastry of some kind. Sky <em>whined</em> as he reached for it. Wild shook with silent laughter as he handed the treat to the Skyloftian, who melted as he took the first bite. “I have no idea what this is, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever had.” He moaned.</p><p>“What <em>is</em> that?” Wind asked, looking at the odd pastry in Sky’s hand.</p><p><em>C-A-K-E</em> Wild spelled out for them.</p><p>“That doesn’t look like any cake I’ve seen.” Twilight shook his head, having come out in time to catch the drift of the conversation. “Is that <em>really</em> cake?”</p><p>Wild nodded, looking somewhat puzzled.</p><p>“Maybe it’s something that’s changed over time?” Four guessed. “Wild <em>is</em> pretty far into the future. It’s not unreasonable to think that cake has gotten better over the centuries.”</p><p>“Or maybe Wild’s just that good a cook.” Hyrule spoke up, a small cake of his own held firmly in his hand. The large bite mark and odd whipped substance that stuck to his upper lip told Time he’d already had a bite.</p><p>Wild smiled and passed out a small cake—<em>cupcake</em>, he’d corrected them—to each member of the group. Time tentatively took a bite of his, and an explosion of sweetness greeted his taste buds. He’d never had anything like it! The closest he could think of was a small pastry that Zelda had given to him once, but even then it wasn’t <em>this</em> sweet. It tasted like apricots and peaches, and the sweetness of the sugar was just enough to accentuate the natural sweetness of the fruits. The whipped substance on top was also sweet, and tasted more of the peaches than the rest of the cake.</p><p>“I thought only <em>royalty</em> could afford the ingredients to make something like this!” Warriors marveled.</p><p>“Dunno what <em>your</em> royalty eats, but I don’t think mine eats <em>this</em> well.” Legend was already finished with his, and looked highly disappointed when their cook didn’t offer another.</p><p>Time internally groaned as he saw Wind <em>inhale</em> his, and dreaded the sugar rush that was most assuredly on the way. “We should get moving.” He stated. “The storm has passed and the drizzle is clearing.”</p><p>“Right.” Twilight nodded as everyone double-checked their belongings. The same girl from last night was peeking around the corner, eyeing Wild.</p><p>“Leaving so soon?” She asked as she came over, her gaze never straying from the scarred youth.</p><p>Wild nodded, a sheepish look of apology on his face. He handed her back the same paper she handed him the night before, a quick apology in sign. She stared for a moment. “Aw, don’t tell me you’re taken!” She smiled as she let out a groan. “Damnit, all the good ones…” She shook her head and Wild blushed a bit. Time idly wondered if Wild <em>did</em> have someone back home. “No matter. My name is Tarin. Feel free to drop by anytime—I’ll even give you a deal next time, yeah?” Tarin then took something out from behind her back—a parcel wrapped in cloth. “Take this with you. Things are getting dangerous again… stay safe, yeah?” She sent Wild a grin before leaving him standing there, parcel in hand.</p><p>“Haha.” Warriors chuckled softly to himself at the dumbstruck look on Wild’s face. “Not really experienced with the ladies, are you?”</p><p>Wild shook his head. <em>‘Alone’</em> he explained, using some of the signs that they were more familiar with. Twilight must’ve been teaching him quite a bit yesterday.</p><p>“You were alone a lot, too?” Hyrule asked, and Wild nodded.</p><p>“Don’t worry! Ol’ Warriors, here, will teach you everything you need to know about the ladies~” Warriors grinned.</p><p>“Yeah? Like what? How to chase them away?” Legend raised an eyebrow, causing a few of them to laugh as they started out through town.</p><p>“Besides, why just assume Wild’s into girls? He could be into guys.” Hyrule added, causing a few raised eyebrows. “What? It’s somewhat common in my Hyrule. Or, at least, it’s not unheard of.”</p><p>Wild just shrugged. Time got the impression that the conversation was making him uncomfortable, and Hyrule looked like he was wishing he’d kept his mouth shut.</p><p>“So… what’s in the package?” Warriors asked, looking at Wild, who eyed the parcel in his hand curiously. He shrugged as he opened the box, pulling out a necklace.</p><p>It was very pretty, done in dark silvers and blacks. There were red gems, and while it was rather effeminate, it put off an aura of protection.</p><p>“That’s some strong protective magic on there.” Hyrule noted as he dropped back to take a look. Wild tilted it into the sunlight with a grin, causing the light to fragment and dance around the cobblestone pathways like fire. He didn’t really hesitate in putting it on, tucking it beneath his tunic, hiding the sparkle from the world.</p><p>“Where would someone like an innkeeper get something with <em>that</em> level of enchantment?” Legend wondered, glancing at Wild with a frown.</p><p>“Does it really matter? She was nice.” Wind grinned.</p><p>“Quiet down.” Time spoke up as they stepped out of the Castle Town Walls. “We’re heading towards Zora’s Domain. You all know the deal, but since we’ve got Wild, now, we’ll run through it again.” He waited to see if anyone protested, but everyone looked understanding.</p><p>“Right, so whenever we enter a new Hyrule, the Link of that Hyrule takes charge of traveling. What they say is essentially law. Nobody knows their Hyrule better than them, after all. So if Twilight tells you to leave something be, you <em>leave it be</em>.” Time warned Wild, who nodded. “It’s also customary that the resident Link gives us a rundown of what to expect—enemies, natural occurrences like sandstorms, or other dangerous things that we should know about.”</p><p>“My Hyrule is fairly calm these days. You’ve got Bokoblins, Bulblins, Lizalfos… the usual. Keese are a nuisance, and maybe the odd Dekubaba growing here and there.” Twilight explained.</p><p>Wild tilted his head and Time realized he may not know some of these enemies. He made a mental note to run through some of the major ones as they walked.</p><p>“A little while ago… actually, about three years, now, an alternate world spilled over into this one. The Twilight Realm was filled with all sorts of enemies. They <em>shouldn’t</em> be around, but with this odd infection thing going on, I don’t know <em>what</em> to expect anymore. If you see anything with shadowy features and odd glowing runes, let me handle it. And if there’s ever a giant shadowy door with unfamiliar orange runes, <em>don’t</em> go near it.” Twilight continued to explain. “But anyways, bulblins and bokoblins are the most common foes out here in Hyrule Field. They’re fairly easy to beat, but be careful nonetheless.”</p><p>Wild nodded as they began to walk again.</p><p>“Twilight’s Hyrule is the biggest of any of ours.” Wind spoke up. “Expect to get tired <em>fast</em>.”</p><p>Wild gave Wind an odd look, like he didn’t believe him.</p><p>“Not everyone lacks your stamina, Wind.” Four reminded him.</p><p>“Trust me, he’s right.” Warriors nodded sagely. “Twilight’s Hyrule is <em>massive</em>. I’m used to constant travel, but even <em>I</em> get tired walking around his Hyrule.”</p><p>“What, can’t handle a small hike?” Legend smirked. “Though I’m with you in that it’s annoying. It takes forever to get anywhere.”</p><p><em>‘Horses?’</em> Wild asked, glancing around. Time idly wondered if he was looking for a ranch to buy a horse at.</p><p>“Eh, they’re kind of expensive. Certainly too expensive to justify buying even four to double up on—especially when you take into account that they wouldn’t be able to follow us through the portals.” Twilight sighed. “I’ve got my own horse, Epona, but she can only carry so many.”</p><p>Wild shrugged, but still looked a little confused. Time wondered if horses were less expensive in his Hyrule… maybe they were more commonly used and owned? It would be interesting to see a Hyrule where most everyone owned a horse.</p><p>They’d been walking for a couple of hours, and a few of the lower-stamina members of their group were starting to lag. Wind, particularly because most of his travelling was by <em>boat</em>, had very little tolerance for long distance treks. Wild, on the other hand, didn’t look phased at all. What was this kid <em>made</em> of? Not that Time was complaining.</p><p>“We’re about halfway there. Should reach Zora’s Domain by nightfall.” Twilight informed them, which caused the group to groan. Wild looked at him oddly, but whatever he tried to sign wasn’t something they were able to recognize. He let out a frustrated sigh and lowered his hands.</p><p>Time caught Wild’s ear twitch, and his head swiveled in one direction. He stopped walking, body stiff and tense. Time gestured for the others to stop, too. Time strained his own hearing, but whatever it was Wild heard was too far away or too quiet for Time to pick up. He wondered if Wild’s hearing was really <em>that</em> strong.</p><p>Wild kept his hand low, and flashed a few quick signs that he’d seen Warriors do once or twice. The Captain’s eyes widened in surprise, and he nodded.</p><p>“Wild says he hears enemies. At least ten, further up this road.” Warriors translated. “Where did you learn that sign?” He asked Wild, who blinked and looked at his own hand with a shrug.</p><p>Had… Wild not known he knew that? How did <em>that</em> work? Instinct? Or maybe… was it possible that Warriors’ knowledge had been passed down through the Hero’s Spirit? No, that was… Well, not entirely the most outlandish thing he’d heard, and Time had certainly seen stranger things. Plus, he’d seen Twilight pull out some moves and techniques that Time himself knew rather well—and had thought he’d been the only one to know.</p><p>Was it possible that memories and skills could be passed down through the Hero’s Spirit? He mentally shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to think about such things. “Wild, how are you with stealth?”</p><p>The newest Link grinned widely, and gave a large thumbs up. He tapped his slate and suddenly, his hood and tunic were gone, replaced by some kind of Sheikah outfit. Abruptly, Time realized he couldn’t <em>sense</em> or hear Wild at all, despite the other standing not three feet away. <em>That answers that question</em>.</p><p>“Then take Legend with you to go scout the enemies. <em>Do not engage</em>.” He stressed. He wasn’t sure if Wild was the go-get-‘em type of fighter like Warriors or Wind or a more cautious level headed one like Four or Legend. Either way, Legend would keep Wild in line if he happened to fall into the first category.</p><p>Wild nodded, a bit of a pout on his lips. Ah, so he <em>was</em> someone who enjoyed fighting. Time watched as Legend and Wild snuck off, still half amazed at how good the scarred hero was at stealth.</p><p>The rest of them readied their weapons and armor for battle. A few of them put some potions in easy to reach pockets in the unfortunately likely scenario that someone got injured mid-battle.</p><p>The two returned after a few minutes, Legend scowling at Wild. “Hey, Twilight? Are Lizalfos usually around these parts?”</p><p>“No…?” Twilight answered slowly. “Why?”</p><p>“Because there’s <em>sixteen</em> Lizalfos and twenty bokoblins up ahead. And <em>no</em>, Wild, you heard Time, you <em>cannot</em> try to fight them yourself.” He turned and glared at the silent youth, who pouted like a child being denied an extra serving of dessert.</p><p>Time mentally thanked himself for sending Legend with Wild. Why in the name of the Goddess would Wild <em>want</em> to tackle such a large monster camp <em>alone</em>?</p><p>“They’re probably infected.” Twilight grimaced. “Be careful.”</p><p>Their attention was drawn to Wild when the blue light of his Slate flashed. He was still in the Sheikah armor, but now was equipped with a bow and a quiver of arrows.</p><p>Time nodded, understanding Wild’s silent message. “Wild, you support us with ranged attacks. Hyrule, do the same with your magic.”</p><p>“Right.”</p><p>“The rest of you…” Time then got down to the nitty gritty task of <em>strategy</em>—something he absolutely loathed because, as the ‘leader’, it was <em>his</em> fault if something went wrong.</p><p>Ten minutes later, Legend and Wild had led them over to the best vantage point. As stated, there were a <em>lot</em> of monsters. Wild twitched, itching to start. This kid had no fear—it was worrying.</p><p>Wild nocked an arrow as everyone headed into position. Time idly wondered how good of a shot the kid was. They waited with baited breath, and Time gave the signal for the archers to fire. He watched in transfixed awe as not one, but <em>three</em> arrows flew from the kid at the same time. Each one hit a Lizalfos in the eye or head, killing them instantly.</p><p>The monsters, now alerted to the presence of enemies, let out cries as they gathered up their weapons. “Now!” Twilight called out, and the rest of them moved.</p><p>Time was used to this dance—they all were. Fighting monsters like this was second nature. But he couldn’t remember ever having such reliable ranged attacks on his side before. An arrow whizzed just past Time’s shoulder and hit his foe in the hand, knocking the weapon out of the Lizalfos’ grasp, allowing Time to easily finish off his enemy.</p><p>Wild wasn’t just a good shot—he was <em>incredible.</em> He’d never seen someone so adept at archery. And he thought <em>Twilight</em> was good! Time was quite sure that this fight would’ve been long and bloody if not for Wild.</p><p>Perhaps Hylia was looking out for them when she sent Wild, after all. Time struck down his Lizalfos, black blood staining his blade. He glanced over towards Wild, checking to make sure he was all right, when he noticed a Lizalfos sneaking up behind the scarred youth. He opened his mouth to cry out a warning—even though he knew such a quiet sound would be lost amongst the clashing of blades and cries of battle—when Wild suddenly whirled around and shot the Lizalfos point blank with his bow.</p><p>Time had never seen someone fight with a bow at such close range. He imagined it would be awkward to anyone else, but… Wild made it look <em>easy</em>. No wonder the kid wanted to buy so many arrows at the shop yesterday. It looked like bows were his weapon of choice—unlike the rest of them who favored magic or swords. He suddenly felt a little guilty for dragging him away.</p><p>Time realized he wasn’t the only one who’d seen Wild’s crazy move. Twilight had gotten distracted by the youth’s talents at the <em>worst</em> moment. The Lizalfos he was fighting had used his distraction to force him into a blocking position, both hands on his blade above his head as the taller monster bore down upon him with all its weight. Time’s legs were moving as he saw the bokoblin aim an arrow at his protégé. There was no way Twilight could dodge or block it with the position he was in, and the Lizalfos seemed to know this too.</p><p>He realized with a sinking feeling that he wasn’t going to be fast enough as the bokoblin let the arrow fly right at Twilight. Several other Links cried out in warning.</p><p>Wild leapt from the cliff, and a heavy feeling overcame Time—like the very air was suddenly solid. He stared uncomprehendingly as Wild nocked an arrow and let it fly with <em>unreal</em> speed.</p><p>That <em>had</em> to be magic. There was no way an arrow could fly <em>that</em> fast, nor could a normal person shoot an arrow with such inhylian speed. Wild then nocked three more in the span of a single breath. The air lightened as Wild’s first arrow knocked the bokoblin’s out of the air—hitting the head of the arrow and embedding them both in the ground.</p><p>The other three arrows hit the bokoblin in the face, Twilight’s Lizalfos in the neck, and a Lizalfos near Legend that had attempted to use his distraction against him.</p><p>The last enemy fell to Wild’s insane archery skills and Wild whipped out a strange fabric that reminded him of Sky’s parasol. He flew on the air with the grace of a bird, and landed with a grin.</p><p>“Wh—what the <em>hell</em> was that?!” Legend gasped out, the first to break the silence. Wild furrowed his brows and tilted his head, visibly confused.</p><p>“I think he means the magic you used.” Time explained. Wild looked even <em>more</em> confused, now.</p><p>“That thing with the arrows!” Wind helpfully grinned, bouncing on his feet as Hyrule wrapped a nasty cut on his arm.</p><p>“Stop moving! I need to wrap this.” Hyrule reprimanded, and Wind huffed.</p><p>Wild shrugged. <em>‘Skill’</em> He finally replied. He tried signing a few other things, but the signs flew right over everyone’s head. Wild lowered his hands with a huff, frustrated at the language barrier. He opened his mouth, but his voice caught in his throat again.</p><p>“Wild… <em>can</em> you speak?” Twilight asked, coming to the same conclusion as Time himself. The scarred youth nodded, but pursed his lips in frustration.</p><p>“Is it difficult around new people?” Sky wondered, and Wild gave a half shrug half nod. Time got the feeling that it was less to do with them being so new and more to do with the fact that they’re his predecessors. Call it a hunch, but the way Wild had looked at them when he was told who they were… Perhaps the kid felt like he might disappoint them?</p><p>Time certainly felt similarly when they first came together. He was <em>The Hero of Time</em>—a seemingly legendary figure in may of their Hyrules. He’d been overcome with nerves when he’d realized this, and felt overwhelmed by the expectations suddenly thrust upon him.</p><p>Up until that point, he’d just been a simple farmer who’d happened to know the Princess from an odd little meetup as kids. Nobody but Malon (and Epona) knew about his adventures, and while that frustrated him a bit in his youth, he realized it was a blessing as he grew older. He learned to enjoy the anonymity—being just another guy. Compared to how the other Links were treated in their Hyrules, he felt rather grateful to Zelda for sending him back like she did—even if he was still angry with her for doing it without asking.</p><p>Time could understand the pressure Wild must’ve been feeling. Being the last in line that they knew of, it was no wonder Wild felt anxious—he had to live up to their legacies. Perhaps, with time, they could show the kid that he didn’t have to live up to the legends he’d no doubt grown up hearing. He could just be himself, and that was enough.</p><p>“So you <em>can</em> talk, but you just aren’t ready to yet?” Wind tilted his head, jolting Time back to the present conversation. Wild nodded, a sort of relief washing over his expression.</p><p>Time couldn’t get over just how <em>young</em> Wild acted at times. Sure, he <em>looked</em> young, but not as young as he acted. Even just spending a couple of days around the kid had Time questioning if something more was going on with Wild. Was he maybe like Time, himself? A child forced into the body of an adult or teenager? He certainly acted like it. He’d keep a closer eye on him just in case. If the opportunity came up, he’d see if he could offer an ear to him.</p><p>Maybe Time and Wild weren’t so different, after all. In all honesty, Time was strongly reminded of his younger self.</p><p>“Either way, that was <em>amazing</em> shooting!” Twilight grinned, patting Wild on the shoulder, who flinched from the touch like he was burned. Twilight didn’t mention it, and sent him a quick apologetic look before continuing on. “Is a bow your main weapon?”</p><p>Wild nodded eagerly, pulling out a few different kinds of arrows that Time wasn’t familiar with. He pointed to the yellow dual pronged ones and Time noticed tiny sparks of electricity coming off of it.</p><p>“Electric arrows?” He blinked. Those certainly would’ve been helpful on his own journey.</p><p>Wild nodded, and gestured to the other three. Blue was likely ice, and the red was obviously fire, and Twilight seemed to recognize the last one with a wince. “You’ve got bomb-arrows, too?”</p><p>Wild’s grin made Time uncomfortable. Perhaps he should have Twilight help keep an eye on this kid. Legend, too. At least if he started setting things on fire, Legend could use magic to put it out.</p><p>“We should keep moving. That ambush put us <em>far</em> behind schedule.” Time sighed. “Anyone hurt?”</p><p>“Wind has a gash on his arm, and Four’s got a twisted ankle, but that’s as bad as I can tell. Wild was able to keep the worst of the attacks away.” Hyrule explained, sending a grin towards Wild, who ducked his head and scratched his cheek. Time thought it was an adorably childish gesture that made him look that much younger.</p><p>“I’m fine to travel.” Four insisted.</p><p>“You can ride Epona.” Twilight shook his head as he pulled out a necklace shaped like a wishing bone. The familiar whistled tune of Epona’s song brought a small smile to Time’s lips as the horse called out a greeting.</p><p>Four eyed Epona warily. “Have you ever ridden a horse?” Time asked, and Four shook his head.</p><p>“No, never. I don’t usually spend time around horses.”</p><p>“Well, time for a crash course in horseback riding.” Twilight grinned. “Anyone else need a lesson while we’re at it?”</p><p>A few people raised their hands—Wild was not among them. “You ride?” Time asked him. Wild nodded with a wide grin.</p><p><em>“Own many horses.”</em> He signed.</p><p>“You own <em>multiple</em> horses?” Hyrule asked with raised eyebrows. Wild just nodded, looking proud of himself. Time supposed he <em>did</em> have enough money to buy more than one. Perhaps he was proud of the amount of horses he was able to buy?</p><p>“I… I think I’ve got this?” Four said unsure, as he balanced himself on Epona’s back.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ll be riding with you—just in case.” Twilight reassured him. Four’s shoulders sagged in relief.</p><p>Wild snickered at the sight of such a small statured person atop such a large horse and held up his slate, which made a <em>snap</em> sort of sound. It reminded Time of—</p><p>“Is that a pictograph?!” Wind grinned, bouncing on his feet excitedly. He craned his neck to get a look at the screen, which Wild lowered so he could get a better look. Time, curious, came over to look as well.</p><p>It was a true-to-life image of Four and Twilight atop Epona. Time didn’t think the best painter in all of Hyrule could do a better job in <em>months</em> what this little brick did in <em>seconds</em>. Color him impressed.</p><p>“I have something like that, too!!” Wind cheered, pulling out a few pictures and showing Wild. The newest Link grinned and swiped his finger across the screen, causing the picture to change.</p><p>It blurred through scenery that was honestly breathtaking. “Is that your Hyrule?” Warriors asked, awed. Wild nodded, showing off a starlit mountaintop which was covered in a fresh layer of snow. A lone deer grazed on a stray patch of grass as the morning sun’s light barely began to lighten the horizon.</p><p>“Your Hyrule is <em>gorgeous</em>.” Hyrule breathed.</p><p>The next photo was of the desert region. Large sand dunes rose as the sunset reflected off the golden sands of Hyrule.</p><p>“So you can change it by touching it?” Wind asked, raising his hand to swipe like Wild had been. It changed the image accordingly, this time showing something like a jungle with a gigantic waterfall. “That’s so cool!!” Wind swiped again, and again, making the images fly by rapidly. Wild pulled it back, a disgruntled look on his face.</p><p>It had stopped at an image that was taken at sunset somewhere. Five people stood there, grinning. Time didn’t have the chance to see much more. The photo was only visible for a brief moment before Wild pulled his slate back. Wild had a sour look on his face, and Time realized that the photo must’ve been something sensitive to him.</p><p>“Wind, Wild never gave you permission to touch his slate. Apologize.” Time spoke up, and Wind ducked his head.</p><p>“Sorry, Wild.”</p><p>Wild shook his head with an apologetic smile.</p><p>“Are… those your friends?” Wind asked, and Time resisted the urge to smack his forehead. Wind really couldn’t read an atmosphere, could he?</p><p>Wild nodded, looking at the photo with a sad smile. He turned it back around so they could all see it clearly.</p><p>There was a Goron, a Zora (who admittedly looked very different from many of their Zoras), an odd bird-like person who appeared to be Wild’s form of Rito (and how was <em>that</em> possible? Only Wind had Rito, but he had no Zora), and a person who could only be Wild’s Zelda. Then there was Wild, himself, but he lacked the familiar scars that adorned most of his face. Somehow, despite the lack of scars, the Wild in the photo looked <em>ages</em> older than the Wild that held the slate before them. He pointed to each one, and finger spelled their names.</p><p>
  <em>“D-A-R-U-K. U-R-B-O-S-A. R-E-V-A-L-I. M-I-P-H-A. Z-E-L-D-A.”</em>
</p><p>“They all look so fun!” Wind grinned. “I can’t wait to meet them when we go to your Hyrule!”</p><p>Time caught Wild’s wince at Wind’s statement. Had something happened to them? Or perhaps Wild was merely worried about them going to his Hyrule in general? He had a feeling it was closer to the former.</p><p>“We need to get moving—we can’t stand around talking forever.” Twilight reminded them as he urged Epona to start walking. Wind didn’t stop his conversation, though.</p><p>“So what’s your Zelda like? Is she princess-y?”</p><p><em>“Reading. Learning.”</em> He signed a few more things that none of them understood.</p><p>“So she’s… someone who reads a lot and likes to learn?” Twilight chimed in. Wild nodded.</p><p>“What, like a researcher?” Legend raised an eyebrow as Wild’s face lit up and he pointed to Legend with a nod.</p><p>“Your Zelda’s a geek?” Warriors asked, scratching his head.</p><p>“Nothing wrong with a girl wanting to learn things.” Sky spoke up, thinking of his own Zelda. “Sun loves learning, too. I wonder of your Zelda and mine would get along?”</p><p><em>“Sun?”</em> Wild’s brows furrowed.</p><p>“Oh, we’ve given our Zeldas nicknames based on stuff that we associate with them. My Zelda is Tetra.” Wind grinned. “Sky’s is Sun.”</p><p>“You should probably give yours a nickname, too.” Legend added. “Otherwise it’ll get confusing fast.”</p><p>Wild thought for a long moment before seeing a flower growing on the side of the road. He picked it and stared at it thoughtfully as they walked.</p><p>“Does your Zelda like flowers?” Hyrule asked, and Wild nodded.</p><p><em>“F-L-O-R-A.”</em> He finally decided.</p><p>“Flora? Like the term for flowers?” Sky tilted his head. “Now I really want to meet your Zelda. I wonder what she’s like…”</p><p>Time sighed fondly as the rest of his boys fell into conversation about their Zeldas, occasionally asking Wild about his own. Zora’s Domain wouldn’t be too much farther, so Time just let himself fall into the rhythm of travel.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Fireside Memories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <strong>A/N: What's this?! Another update?! Why, yes it is! :D I haven't the faintest idea why I've been able to write not one but THREE new chapters for this story (keep an eye out!) in just a few days, but I'm not questioning it! Today, we've got a chapter in Legend's point of view! He's hard to write, for some reason. I think it's because I've never played any of his games. </strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Also, I'm playing Ocarina of Time for the first time, and I'm so stuck. How do I get past the guards to get to Zelda?! *cries in frustration*</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Awesome shoutout to my LU Discord server peeps! Y'all rock! </strong>
  </em>
</p><hr/>
<hr/><p>Legend huffed as they settled down in the freshly made camp. He wasn’t sure what to make of their silent companion, Wild. It’d been two weeks already, and not only had the guy remained frustratingly mute, but there were these odd times he’d just zone out.</p><p>Now, normally these things wouldn’t bother him. Sky certainly had his head in the clouds often enough, but Wild wasn’t Sky. Wild was always on high alert, and picked up signs of danger faster than the rest of them usually did. Seriously, the guy’s hearing was unreal.</p><p>And seeing someone who was so aware just <em>check out</em> was mildly terrifying to the veteran. He needed to understand <em>why</em>. Was he sick? Was it a spell or a curse? What if it happened in the middle of a battle? It made him into a liability, though he’d never say it aloud. Legend knew better than to offend the person in charge of the <em>food</em>, after all.</p><p>Nor would he ever dream of kicking out the only person who could make edible meals. And the guy seemed genuinely okay aside from this—albeit a bit of a loose canon at times, but Wild wasn’t a bad person. Legend was sure of that much.</p><p>But this… <em>thing</em> of his had to stop. He eyed the cook who was cutting up some carrots for their stew. Warriors was talking to Hyrule about something as he sharpened his sword, and Hyrule was tending to an injury Wind got in a fight earlier that day.</p><p>Warriors let loose a booming laugh, startling Wild, who looked up. Then all his movements stilled, and his eyes became frighteningly vacant. Legend wasn’t the only one to notice as a quiet hush fell over the camp, every eye turned towards their now frozen cook. This was the third time they’d seen it.</p><p>The first time, they hadn’t been sure. It’d been early in the morning and Wild had been startled out of a nightmare. Checking out for a few moments wasn’t unheard in that kind of situation. It had unnerved them a bit, but even Legend himself had fought off flashbacks and whatnot after being shaken from his nightmares so suddenly.</p><p>The second time had occurred when they were trying to show him how to actually <em>fish</em>. Apparently Wild had never seen a fishing rod before, which was mildly concerning. But when Twilight had been showing him how to cast a line, the scarred hero just froze and wouldn’t react to anyone for several minutes.</p><p>It scared quite a few of them, but Wild just brushed it off and pretended that nothing happened. In all honesty, if they hadn’t been ambushed shortly thereafter, they probably would’ve pushed him for answers. As it was, Sky got hurt rather nicely, which distracted them for the rest of the night. And that following day there was just no opportunity to bring it up. That’d been just a handful of days ago.</p><p>But this time, they were all close enough to see that undeniable vacancy in his glazed over eyes. The fact that he honestly <em>was not there</em>. More than a few apprehensive looks passed amongst them.</p><p>“Wild?” Twilight reached out a hand and touched his shoulder, but he didn’t so much as twitch. And Wild <em>always</em> flinched at physical contact. Hyrule came over and coaxed the knife out of his hand so he wouldn’t hurt himself when he came to.</p><p>Luckily, it was only a few moments of silence before he blinked rapidly. “There you are.” Warriors sighed in relief. “You okay?”</p><p>Wild nodded, and ducked his head, cheeks burning brightly in what Legend assumed was embarrassment. “What was that?” He spoke up. “That’s the third time you’ve just <em>checked out</em>.”</p><p>Wild pressed his lips together, forming a thin line as he pulled his hood back up—something they had quickly realized he did whenever he was uncomfortable. He started stirring the stew again and reached down for some spices. For a moment, Legend was sure that he was going to blatantly ignore him.</p><p>“It’s a holdover from my journey.”</p><p>Legend blinked at the hoarse, raspy voice. It was unfamiliar and if he hadn’t seen Wild’s lips moving beneath the shadow of his hood, he wouldn’t have believed it. Wild <em>spoke</em>. It was almost enough to distract him from the words themselves.</p><p>“Your journey?” Legend pressed. Wild swallowed thickly. Legend figured it was uncomfortable to speak after such a long period of silence. Wind handed Wild a cup of water with a smile.</p><p>“Something happened to me… and I lost all my memories of before my journey. I only have about two or three years of memories.”</p><p>They were silent for a moment. A look of surprise painted on all their faces. No memories? Wild was… “You’re an <em>amnesiac</em>?”</p><p>He nodded. “Sometimes, when I’m relaxed enough, things will trigger my memories. Like Warriors sharpening his sword.” He gave the captain a small smile beneath his hood. “I used to do the same thing when I was a knight. I’d forgotten…”</p><p>“You were a knight?” Warriors blinked in surprise.</p><p>“From what I can remember.”</p><p>“Will these memories pop up like this during a battle?” Legend raised an eyebrow. He stomped down on the part of him that felt guilty for asking. He <em>had</em> to know. There was no way he was going to let Wild get himself (or someone else) <em>killed</em> if a memory cropped up in the middle of a fight.</p><p>The scarred kid shook his head. “No. They’re only triggered when I’m <em>relaxed</em>. In a high-stress situation like a fight, there’s no way I’d get them back.” Legend could’ve sworn he heard a <em>‘trust me, I’ve tried’, </em>but he wasn’t sure.</p><p>“So you don’t remember… <em>anything</em>?” Wind asked, tilting his head. “What about your family?”</p><p>“I don’t know if I even <em>had</em> a family.” Wild admitted. “I think my father was a knight, but I don’t have any memories of him.”</p><p>“So all your memories are from your journey?” Twilight asked softly. Wild just nodded, taking a swallow of water with a wince. Legend wondered if it hurt to speak so much after nearly a solid month of silence.</p><p>“I’m sorry.” Wild apologized.</p><p>“For what?” Time shook his head. “We’re all some kind of messed up from our journeys. Amnesia is nothing to be ashamed of. We don’t think less of you, Wild.”</p><p>Wild’s head whipped up so fast that his hood fell off. Legend became abruptly aware that this kid—because that’s what he was, a <em>kid</em>—thought they were going to <em>abandon</em> him because of his lack of <em>memories</em>.</p><p>Thoughts like that didn’t crop up out of nowhere. Wild thought they’d leave him because he’d had others do so before. The thought made Legend’s blood boil. He may be a bit of an asshole, but he would never abandon someone like that. (He violently shoved away the memories of a cheerful young girl who loved to sing sitting on a beach with him.)</p><p>“Did you really think we’d…?” Twilight looked hurt, and Wild looked rather alarmed at that.</p><p>“N-no! I just…” He flailed about, trying to find the words. Legend decided to be nice for a change and help him out.</p><p>“You’ve had it happen before, haven’t you?” His voice silenced the incoherent excuses. “You’ve had people you’ve trusted turn on you. Whether you remember it or not, the scars are still there.” Wild looked at Legend like he’d never seen him before. There was a silent questioning vulnerability to his eyes that had Legend feeling like he’d just kicked a puppy.</p><p>He realized that Wild was a lot younger than they’d first thought. Physically, he wasn’t the youngest, but <em>mentally</em>, he was probably younger than Wind in some aspects. This kid had no experience beyond his Journey—whether that was as violent as Legend’s own journeys or quieter like Wind’s, he didn’t know. He wasn’t sure if he <em>wanted</em> to know. Suddenly, Wild didn’t seem so immature anymore.</p><p>“Come on, I think that’s enough depressive talk for the night.” Sky spoke up. “And Wild, let us know if there’s anything we can do to help you, okay?”</p><p>“Y-yeah.” He smiled, lowering his hood.</p><p>Legend huffed as everyone went back to doing whatever they were doing. Was he the only one who noticed the way Wild’s hands shook? How he gripped the knife just a <em>little</em> too tightly? He made his way towards the cook. “Give it here. You’re going to hurt yourself if you try to cut those carrots shaking like that.” Legend shook his head as he took the knife from Wild, who gave him a startled look.</p><p>“What are you…?”</p><p>“You need these cut, right? I’m hungry and if helping you out gets dinner done faster then that’s that.” He huffed, chopping the carrots. “I may not be the best cook, but I can follow directions.”</p><p>“Thank you, Legend.” Wild smiled softly, voice warm. “You’re a good friend.”</p><p>Legend felt his cheeks warm and shook his head violently. “I’m just doing it because I’m <em>hungry</em>.” He insisted. “<em>Idiot.”</em></p><p>They worked in a comfortable silence as the quiet chatter of the rest of the group washed over the two. Legend cut and peeled whatever Wild told him to as the cook added spices and other ingredients to the stew. The smell was tantalizing and Legend felt his mouth water.</p><p>“You’re right… about what you said earlier.” Wild spoke suddenly.</p><p>“Huh?” He blinked, not understanding what the cook was going on about.</p><p>“About people leaving me. I’m sure it happened before my… but it’s happened during my journey, too. Someone I thought was a friend turned out to be an assassin after my head. They almost killed me and never even thought twice about it.” He clenched the spoon he was stirring with. “We’d traveled together for nearly two weeks before he finally…”</p><p>Great, what was he supposed to say to <em>that</em>? In the admittedly short time they’d known Wild, he’d never opened up about anything personal to them. It could’ve been due to the language barrier, but Wild still seemed like a private guy. Why was he opening up to <em>Legend</em> of all people?!</p><p>“Look. That guy was an asshole. And while I haven’t known everyone here for long, I can tell you one thing. None of us will abandon you or turn on you. We’re all brothers, here.” Legend clenched his jaw as the words slipped off his tongue without his consent. Damnit, he was <em>not</em> being sentimental! He… He just needed Wild to trust them! Because… if he didn’t, then he wouldn’t be as helpful during battles!</p><p>“Careful.” Wild chuckled. “You almost sound like you <em>care</em>.”</p><p>“As if!” Legend turned his head away to hide his reddening cheeks. Hyrule sent him a knowing smirk, and Legend internally cursed the traveler. “It’d just be inconvenient if you got hurt or something! We’re a <em>team</em> and we all need to be at the top of our game in a fight. Nothing more.”</p><p>Wild laughed. A few people startled to look over at them, Legend still blushing in mild mortification and Wild’s laughter echoing around the campsite like wind through wildflowers.</p><p>There was something so <em>right</em> about the scene. Legend, despite the embarrassment he’d gone through to reach this point tonight, mentally patted himself on the back. He’d cracked through some of Wild’s outer shell. And now, they were just a little closer to getting the kid to open up to them.</p><p>Brothers, huh? He hadn’t meant to say it, but right now, that’s <em>exactly</em> what it felt like. Not that he’d ever say it again.</p><p>“Dinner’s ready!” Wild grinned.</p><p>“<em>Finally</em>.” Legend scowled. Somehow, he knew that it didn’t fool anyone. But tonight, he didn’t really care much. Tonight, Legend decided, was a good night.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. First Switch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <strong>A/N: Hello! Lookie another update!! I'm on a roll with this story. Shoutout to my peeps on the LU Discord Server!! You are all awesome! </strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>I wanted to give a GIGANTIC thank you to Spliinkles for my first piece of LU fanart!! :D You're amazing and I couldn't stop spazzing out over this piece! Thank you!! </strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><hr/>
<hr/><p>Warriors <em>really</em> liked Wild. He was energetic, always ready for a fight, unpredictable, and a damn good cook. Plus, even though he didn’t really remember it, he was once a knight, too. Warriors felt a sort of camaraderie with him because of that.</p><p>“It’s starting to get late.” Twilight noted. It’d only been a few days since Wild had told them of his amnesia, and they were <em>still</em> in Twilight’s Hyrule. It’d been about a month, now (and about half that since meeting Wild). They were all on edge. They could Switch at any time.</p><p>“I’ll set up camp.” Sky offered.</p><p>“We’ll help.” Hyrule chimed in, looping an arm around Legend, who scowled.</p><p>“I’ll patrol.” Wild grinned brightly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. The kid <em>loved</em> to find trouble, and patrols were the fastest way to find it.</p><p>That aside, in the short time they’d known Wild, they’d quickly realized he had an unreal propensity for wandering off. It happened at <em>least</em> once every two days if not more often. The question of ‘where’s Wild?’ was getting to be frighteningly common.</p><p>“I’ll come with you.” Warriors walked over. It was expected that they all patrol in pairs whenever possible—especially when they were expecting a Switch. Wild nodded and the two set off.</p><p>“Hey, Warriors?” Wild hooked a thumb on his belt as he glanced at the sky as they walked. Though he wasn’t looking at the forest path before them, the guy still walked with more elegance and grace than should be legal while Warriors was stuck stumbling over stray pinecones and loudly snapping twigs. Sometimes, he wondered if the kid was like Time, and grew up in a forest (which was about as much as they knew about Time’s childhood).</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“Why’s everyone so on-edge?”</p><p>Warriors blinked for a moment. “Oh, that’s right. You’ve never experienced a Switch, have you?”</p><p>“A… a what?”</p><p>“That’s what we call it when we’re dragged to another Hyrule. We’re usually scuttled off to the next one after defeating the black-blooded monsters, so we’re expecting it any day, now.”</p><p>“What’s it like?”</p><p>“Well, it’s a toss-up. Sometimes it’s just a portal that opens up nearby, and the longer we wait to enter, the stronger the pull will become. Hylia usually gives us a few minutes to prepare before forcing us through. The <em>other</em> kind, however…” Warriors grimaced. “It’s completely random and <em>really</em> disorientating. One minute we’ll be doing whatever, and the next we’re in a totally different place. No warning, just <em>bam</em>! And there’s no guarantee that we’ll be dropped into friendly territory, either.”</p><p>“So <em>that’s</em> why everyone’s sticking together!” Wild realized. “So nobody’s separated if the Switch is sudden.”</p><p>“<em>Exactly</em>.”</p><p>“Mmm…” Wild was silent for a long moment as he thought. His eyes strayed towards a tree from which brightly colored birds watched them. “What should I cook for dinner?” Wild wondered aloud. Now that he’d started speaking, they quickly realized that he was quite talkative. Wild muttered often and was always up for a conversation. He was incredibly intuitive and seemed to be sharply aware of others’ moods.</p><p>Just yesterday, he’d managed to diffuse one of Warriors and Legend’s arguments before things got too heated. Warriors, himself, was pretty crap at reading casual body language. He was good at reading the morale of his men, but when it came to people like Legend, he might as well have been trying to read a brick wall.</p><p>So Wild had noticed that Warriors must’ve ticked Legend off a bit much, because the other Hero was starting to tip over the friendly bantering that the two typically indulged in. Wild noticed before Warriors had.</p><p>“You’re a knight, right?” Wild asked suddenly, snapping Warriors out of his thoughts.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m a captain.” He grinned proudly. “Do you remember your rank?”</p><p>“I’m pretty sure I was the Princess Zelda’s personal guard. No idea what rank that would give me, though.”</p><p>“You were a <em>Royal Knight</em>?!” Warriors groaned playfully, though he was very impressed. Not just anyone could become a Royal Knight. Hero of Courage or not, he must’ve been mighty talented with a blade. “You outrank me! No fair!” He cracked a grin as Wild laughed. “So I wanted to ask—”</p><p>Wild abruptly hushed him, ears twitching as they caught something Warriors couldn’t hear. Was Wild’s hearing really <em>that</em> much stronger than the rest of theirs?</p><p>The cook quickly scaled a nearby tree with such speed and stealth that Warriors almost didn’t believe his eyes. After a moment, he jumped down nearly silently. “Bokoblin camp up ahead. Looks like a Moblin decided to join them, too.”</p><p>Warriors nodded in understanding as Wild started making his way <em>towards </em>the monster camp.</p><p>“Wait, shouldn’t we go get the others?” Warriors placed a hand on Wild’s shoulder to stop him, mentally apologizing as the other hero flinched at the unexpected contact.</p><p>“It’s just a bokoblin camp.” Wild frowned. “I can handle that by myself.”</p><p>Warrior’s eyebrows shot up. “You’ve taken out camps like that <em>alone</em>? Even without the Master Sword?”</p><p>“I didn’t get the Master Sword back until the last leg of my journey.” Wild shrugged.</p><p><em>Get it back?</em> He shook his head, that wasn’t important right now. “Look, we should still grab the others. Better safe than sorry.” Warriors was about to lead Wild back to camp, when the little gremlin shot him a mischievous grin. Before he could so much as speak up, Wild was gone, heading towards the monster camp <em>alone</em>.</p><p>Warriors debated for a moment before heaving a massive sigh and taking off after Wild. This kid was going to get himself <em>killed!</em> There’s no way he could fight off an entire Bokoblin camp <em>and</em> a Moblin by himself. Especially if these guys were infected.</p><p>His mind briefly flashed to when he fought off that camp of black-blooded Lizalfos singlehandedly when they met, but the kid had still broken his shield.</p><p>Wild hushed him the moment they reached the edge of the monster camp. The monsters were milling around a camp, relaxed and unaware that they’d been discovered by two heroes. The Moblin was snoozing against a tree trunk. Warriors frowned. Did Twilight even <em>have</em> Moblins? He knew Time did, but he couldn’t recall ever seeing one in Twilight’s Hyrule.</p><p>Did that mean monsters could travel between their Hyrules like they could?</p><p>“Let me handle this.” Wild said, giving Warriors a look. He shook the thoughts from his mind as he focused on what his fellow hero was saying. “If things start getting out of hand, <em>then</em> you can jump in.” Wild promised.</p><p>They held a staring contest for a long moment. Did Wild understand what he was asking of him? If something happened to kid, not only would Warriors be crushed with guilt, but the others would also never forgive him. But there was a pleading look in Wild’s eye, like this was about more than just the camp.</p><p>He realized it abruptly. Wild was asking him to <em>trust</em> him. This was a small olive branch of trust that Wild was holding out to him. They all knew that Wild was secretive. Speaking hadn’t changed that much. He held a sort of wariness around them and was always somewhat tense. The only person he seemed to trust so far was Legend (which, in and of itself was a bit odd). This was <em>Warriors</em>’ chance to earn the newest Link’s trust.</p><p>And he’d be damned if he wasted it. “All right.” He finally relented. “But be <em>careful</em>, please?”</p><p>Wild beamed and nodded. “<em>Thank you</em>.” He then tipped back a purple potion Warriors didn’t recognize. He belatedly realized it must’ve been some kind of stealth potion because whatever minute sound Wild had been making beforehand stopped completely. He silently snuck down into the camp, hiding in the bushes as he sniped the lookouts, killing them in one shot each. Warriors held his breath. He knew the kid was a good shot, but <em>damn</em>. That was a good thirty feet at <em>least</em>! And the <em>angle</em> he used didn’t even knock the scouts from their towers, so the monsters at ground level remained completely unaware of the impending doom that was Wild.</p><p>As if that wasn’t enough, the kid <em>then</em> went over to where the monsters kept their weapons, and <em>stole</em> them.</p><p>Wild gave Warriors a grin as he stashed the weapons in a nearby bush, where the monsters wouldn’t find them. He then snuck up on the Moblin and buried his sword in its throat, hitting the artery and severing the vocal cords at the same time. It couldn’t even scream as it died, vanishing in a puff of black smoke as Wild hid himself again. The Bokoblins looked around, confused, but they didn’t spot the hiding hero.</p><p>He then repeated the process with any Bokoblins that were close enough to the bushes to take out. By the time the Hero stepped out into the open, only three Bokoblins were left, and without weapons of any kind, they were far too easy for the young warrior to take out.</p><p><em>Five minutes.</em> Wild killed all the Bokoblins and the Moblin in under five minutes without raising the alarm. Warriors stared at him, dumbfounded as he rejoined him at the top of the hill, slate now filled with fresh monster loot.</p><p>“I’ve never seen anything like that before.” He eyed the black blood that Wild was wiping off his blade.</p><p>“Not all enemies can be taken out in a head-on fight. Most of my fights are ones that I’ve done long-range or stealthily. I’m not the strongest in a close up fight, like you guys.”</p><p>“I dunno, kiddo.” Warriors grinned, ruffling Wild’s hair, earning himself a shout of protest. “You’re pretty damn ferocious on a battlefield.”</p><p>They made it back to camp without incident to an impatient Time. “You were gone for a while. The sun’s already down.”</p><p>“What, did you get lost?” Legend smirked at Warriors, a challenging gleam in his eye.</p><p>“That’s actually a funny story, see…”</p><p>Warriors eyed Wild as he started dinner. “We found a Bokoblin camp and took care of it.” The cook stated casually as he set the cuts of meat in the pot to cook. There was a beat as everyone processed his words.</p><p>“Wait, you took on a <em>Bokoblin </em>camp<em> alone</em>?!” Twilight gawked. Time’s eyes narrowed and Warriors could feel a lecture coming on.</p><p>“W-wait! It’s not like you think! Wild didn’t even get <em>hurt!</em>” He realized his mistake the moment he saw Twilight and Legend’s eyes flash.</p><p>“You mean you let <em>Wild</em> take on a whole monster camp by himself?” Twilight glared.</p><p>“I asked him to let me.” Wild came to his rescue, and Warriors sank down onto the nearby tree stump in relief as Time, Legend and Twilight’s sharp gazes landed on the cook. “You see, I’m not the strongest in a straight fight. Sure, when it’s just one opponent it’s fine, but a whole camp? I’ve made that mistake before. I mean, I could win, but…” He shook his head. “So I take out the lookouts and then steal their weapons. Bokoblins are pretty harmless when they’ve got nothing to fight with.” He flipped the meat over to help it cook evenly, and Warriors wondered if he realized just how unusual his tactics were.</p><p>“Wait, you stole their weapons?” Four asked incredulously.</p><p>“He <em>did</em>!” Warriors jumped in exuberantly, feeling safe enough in their incredulity to finally tell the tale. “He swallowed some kind of stealth potion and took out the lookouts like they were <em>nothing</em>! They never even hit the <em>ground</em>! Then he takes out the Moblin without so much as a <em>twig</em> cracking, and none of the monsters are even aware of anything amiss! By the time he comes out to face them all, there’s only <em>three Bokoblins</em> <em>left</em>! And it only took him <em>five minutes</em>!”</p><p>Even Time looked more than a little shocked at the story. “What? I use the technique all the time in my Hyrule. Take out the lookouts, and steal their weapons, and you’re pretty much good. Though sometimes I’ll steal their arrows.”</p><p>Hyrule looked impressed. “Maybe I should try that sometime.”</p><p>“Even still, please be careful.” Time finally said. “What works in your Hyrule may not work in someone else’s. Everyone’s monsters work differently.”</p><p>“I’ll keep that in mind.” Wild nodded before he grinned. “And by the way, dinner’s ready.” He passed out the steak to everyone. The conversation died in the face of good food as everyone dug in ravenously.</p><p>They’d only <em>just</em> finished their food when Wild’s head whipped up. His eyes flashed in something Warriors couldn’t name, and for a moment, he feared that there were some monsters they’d missed. Instead, a portal opened up right where Wild had been looking.</p><p>Groans and complaints filled the air, but it came with a sense of relief. They’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop for weeks, now, and while a portal was hardly a pleasant sight, it was a weight off to finally see it swirl into existence.</p><p>Everyone was quick to pack up, a few grumbling about how tired they were. Warriors, for one, hoped it was still night when they landed so they could just make another camp. This time, someone else could go patrol. He was <em>not</em> doing a second one.</p><p>Wild still stared at the portal with a perplexed look. “What’s up?” Warriors asked, coming to stand next to him.</p><p>“I just… didn’t expect to feel her so abruptly.”</p><p>“Feel… who?” Warriors’ brows furrowed. Was someone else there?</p><p>“You mean you can’t feel it?” Wild looked up at him in surprise.</p><p>“Feel <em>what</em>?” Legend asked, hoisting his pack over his shoulder. “You mean the tug?”</p><p>“No, Hylia. Can’t you sense her?”</p><p>Warriors and Legend blinked at the unexpected answer. “You mean you can <em>sense</em> the Goddess?”</p><p>“Yeah. Can’t you?” Wild asked, perplexed. “Her presence is so strong… I thought…”</p><p>“I’ve never felt it.” Warriors shook his head.</p><p>Wild was about to say something else when Time spoke up, having heard none of their conversation. “Come on, now. Everyone in your pair… right.” He looked at Wild and sighed for a moment. “Since it’s your first time, Wild, I’ll have you go in the middle. Go in after Warriors and Sky, okay?”</p><p>“All right.” Wild nodded.</p><p>Warriors shot him a grin. “No worries. The portals suck but they aren’t painful. Just be prepared for nausea.”</p><p>“Wars. It’s our turn.” Sky bumped his arm and shot Wild a smile. “See you on the other side.” And with that, they stepped into the swirling vortex.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Water</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <strong>A/N: Hello everybody! It's been a couple of weeks. Sorry about that. I had this chapter written out over a week ago, but realized I needed to completely revamp a couple of scenes. ^^; <br/></strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Big shoutout of thanks to my friends over on the LU Discord! You guys are amazing!! This chapter we delve into Hyrule's view of things. :3 Hope you're ready! This one's a tad long. </strong>
  </em>
</p><hr/>
<hr/><p>Hyrule hit the ground hard. He groaned as he did his best to keep their delicious dinner of steak in his stomach where it <em>belonged</em>. Somehow, he didn’t think it’d taste as good coming back up.</p><p>Similar groans from the others filled the air around him as Wind bounced back up on his feet without missing a beat. For some reason, the sailor was never really affected by the portals.</p><p>“Come on! It’s just like a ship! I don’t get why you’re all so affected. See? Wild’s fine!”</p><p>Sure enough, Wild was standing right next to Wind, a concerned look on his face. It was, unfortunately, not quite dark out. It looked like dawn was breaking, which meant they’d spend the day traveling rather than resting. He huffed as he finally felt able to sit up.</p><p>“Is it really that bad?” Wild asked, offering Hyrule a hand up.</p><p>“Sometimes it’s worse than others. The sudden ones are always the worst.” He admitted as he staggered to his feet before heading over to help Four, who always took portals the nastiest. Sometimes Four was so bad off that he was unconscious for a few hours. None of them really knew why, he always just said it was a side effect from his journey. Hyrule had no idea if he was cursed or what, but Four refused to elaborate further. Luckily, it looked like a mild disorientation this time, as he was already shakily sitting up.</p><p>“Anyone recognize where we are?” Time asked as everyone took stock of their surroundings. They were in a forest somewhere, and while Hyrule didn’t see anything that could resemble an identifiable landmark, he instantly knew it was not his Hyrule because the trees were <em>green</em> and very much <em>alive</em>. And while the group had only been to his Hyrule briefly once to pick him up, they’d thankfully kept quiet about it since.</p><p>Quite a few eyes went to Wild when he grabbed his slate. “Nope. My Sheikah Slate doesn’t have a signal for the map, so this isn’t my Hyrule. Besides… the forest doesn’t feel like mine.”</p><p>“You mean the magic is different?” Hyrule asked. Could this Link use magic, too?</p><p>“Magic?” Wild tilted his head.</p><p>“You… you don’t have magic in your Hyrule?” He felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Magic was such an intricate part of who he was—who many of them were. The fact that Wild didn’t seem to know of it made his heart hurt—though it was entirely possible that he was unaware of it due to his amnesia.</p><p>“No, we have magic. It’s just… more subtle, I guess? We’ve got dragons, too.”</p><p>“You have <em>dragons</em>?” Legend eyed him warily.</p><p>“They won’t hurt anybody. If anything, they’re more like spirits.” Wild smiled wistfully. “They’re beautiful.”</p><p>“At any rate, I’m pretty sure this is my Hyrule.” Four spoke up, finally recovering enough to stand. Hyrule steadied him. “The magic here is familiar.”</p><p>“Ah. Then lead the way.” Twilight grinned.</p><p>“Since this is Wild’s first time here, I’ll go over the basics. The enemies are about what you’d find anywhere—Wizzrobes, Moblins, Stalfos… and right now my Hyrule is pretty peaceful. We should be fairly safe in this area—this looks like the woods near my house, if a bit far in. We can reach my forge with daylight to spare.”</p><p>“That’s a relief.” Legend sighed as he cracked his back with a wince. “I’m sick of walking around Twilight’s gigantic Hyrule.”</p><p>“Hey!” Twilight sent him a mild glare.</p><p>Hyrule and the others started following Four as he led the way. He fell into a conversation with Wild. While they hadn’t had the chance to speak much before, one thing became glaringly obvious within days of Wild joining the group—they were cut from the same cloth. The two were explorers and adventurers at heart. Wild often snuck away from the group to explore, and Hyrule was quick to sneak along. The two were quickly becoming known as the Trouble Duo.</p><p>Time had taken to keeping an eye on them both since that one incident a couple weeks ago where they <em>may</em> have accidentally set fire to Hyrule Field. In their defense, that fire sword of Wild’s was really cool! And they needed an updraft to see if Wild’s paraglider could hold the two of them.</p><p>It could. And Hyrule couldn’t <em>wait</em> to explore even more places with Wild.</p><p>“So how long have you been exploring?” He asked the cook, eager to learn more about his kindred spirit. The sun was now fully in the sky, and the dappled shade of the forest around them was quickly becoming a welcome break from the heat that was already starting to saturate the world.</p><p>“For as long as I can remember. My Hyrule is vast and untamed, so there’s a lot of places to explore and discover.” Wild answered eagerly. “I’m honestly jealous of Twilight’s Zora armor, though. Mine just lets me swim faster and climb waterfalls; <em>his</em> lets him breathe underwater. I can’t <em>imagine</em> all the cool things I’d discover with that armor!”</p><p>Hyrule recalled the time Twilight had shown off the armor in his own Hyrule soon after Wild had joined them. “Maybe he’ll let you borrow it?” He tilted his head. “Though you are a bit smaller than him.”</p><p>“I mean… My Zora armor has… it’s got a special meaning to me. It’s personal. I may be a bit jealous of his, but I don’t think I’d honestly have the heart to don any Zora armor other than mine.” He smiled softly. It was tinged in sorrow, and a few of the others looked back in surprise at their normally cheerful companion.</p><p>“Really? I thought armor was just that.” Hyrule continued softly.</p><p>“Zora armor in my Hyrule has… a bit of meaning behind it.”</p><p>Hyrule understood the silent closure of the topic. Wild wasn’t comfortable discussing it, so he’d let it drop.</p><p>There were several things he’d noticed about Wild over the last three weeks they’d been traveling together. Wild didn’t like crowds—apparently his Hyrule wasn’t as densely populated as theirs, which was odd considering the fact that he was set so far into their future. Wild also didn’t like talking to travelers—he was fine talking to strangers in towns or on horseback. But, as they’d seen in Twilight’s Hyrule briefly, if a lone traveler on foot was looking to start a conversation, Wild wanted nothing to do with it. In fact, Hyrule had noticed Wild’s hand drifted towards his Slate on the one occasion they’d spoken to a lone traveler—ready to summon a weapon at a moment’s notice.</p><p>He’d probably been attacked before. It made Hyrule sad, but he could understand. It only took one particularly nasty experience to ruin something for someone, even if that something was talking to fellow travelers on the road.</p><p>Another thing he’d noticed was that Wild wasn’t used to traveling with other people. He was fairly sure the others had noticed, too. They’d all been fairly alone for their journeys, but most of them had had some kind of companionship. Fairies, Fi, even Twilight had once mentioned someone named Midna. Wild, on the other hand, had this air of loneliness that reminded Hyrule of himself. He wondered if he’d gone through his journey completely isolated.</p><p>Hyrule noticed Wild’s ear twitch lightly as he picked up the sound of something. “You’re hearing’s pretty strong, isn’t it? How well can you hear?”</p><p>Wild grinned at the topic change. “I mean, I seem to be able to hear better than you guys, but I spend a lot of my time away from towns, so maybe it’s that?” He tilted his head in thought.</p><p>“Your ears twitch sometimes when you hear stuff. Can you control it?” Warriors jumped in. Wild grinned as one of his ears twitched forward while the other turned a little to aim behind him. It wasn’t nearly anything animalistic, but it was more than the rest of them could do.</p><p>“Wow! That’s so cool!” Wind grinned. “So you must be able to hear really, really well!!”</p><p>Wild flushed a bit at the attention. “I-I guess? I’ve never compared it with anyone else.”</p><p>“It’s possible that it’s a Hylian trait that’s developed over the centuries.” Time added in.</p><p>“Can others in your Hyrule do that?” Warriors asked.</p><p>“I think so.” Wild tilted his head as he thought.</p><p>“Hey, look! A lake!” Wind cried out suddenly, running ahead. They soon came upon a clearing in the forest with a small lake. The waters were clear and they could see the fish swimming around. The day had been rapidly getting warmer as they walked, and armor certainly didn’t help that.</p><p>“I don’t see why we can’t stop for a quick dip.” Four grinned, eyes flashing purple for a moment in the light. “Looks like we’re hitting the hottest part of the day—travel isn’t recommended around this time. We can sit and rest up for a few before heading back out.”</p><p>Time mulled it over for a moment before nodding, much to the cheers and excitement of the younger members. Even Wild looked happy at the thought.</p><p>Of course, Wind was the first in. That kid <em>loved</em> water. Four contented himself to roll up his pants and kick his feet in the water. Hyrule shucked off his clothing and jumped right in. <em>Man</em> that water felt incredible! He stuck to the shallows, though. He was the kind of person who would sink like a rock in deeper water. He’d rather not drown today. He grinned at Legend, who—as usual—was insistent he remained dry and away from any kind of body of water.</p><p>“What, don’t tell me you can’t swim?” Wind whined, looking at Legend with a glare.</p><p>“Of <em>course</em> I can swim.” He glared.</p><p>“Hey, Leg? Can you help me prepare some lunch?” Wild called out, and Hyrule didn’t miss the flicker of relief on Legend’s face at the excuse that Wild had readily thrown him.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m coming.”</p><p>Hyrule wasn’t sure if he was imagining things or not, but it looked like Wild had as much inclination to get into the water as Legend did. Either way, if they didn’t want to swim, that wasn’t any of his business.</p><p>Most of the others joined them in the lake. Sky, like Four, contented himself with dipping his feet in the water. His low stamina meant that he wasn’t the best swimmer. Sure he <em>could</em> swim, but not for any true length of time. Plus, he seemed wary around water. He apparently had some not-so-great experiences with water during his journey. The one time someone asked about it, he mentioned Silent Trials and a creature called a guardian and refused to elaborate further.</p><p>Time happily joined them in the water, and Hyrule couldn’t help but note how horrific some of his scars were. It made sense that the eldest among them would have some of the worst, but it was still a shock to see. He idly wondered if Legend had a few nasty scars and if that was the reason for his insistence on not swimming. If Time was the oldest, then Legend had the most experience. He’d had… what, four journeys? Something ridiculous like that. There was a reason why they called him the veteran.</p><p>“Who’s hungry?” Wild called out, gesturing to their lunch. The others all shared a look. Some of them were starting to tire out and food sounded like a welcome break. Hyrule happily consumed the sandwiches as the rays of sunshine slowly dried the beads of water that clung to his skin. It was nice… to just bask in the sunlight and relax for a change. To, for once, simply <em>be</em> and not have to be a hero. The others seemed to have the same mindset because even Time looked reluctant to call everyone to order again.</p><p>“We should get moving before we lose more daylight.” He finally spoke up. A few sighs were heard but nobody outright complained. The fact that they’d had several hours to rest up and unwind was a small miracle in and of itself. Time’s journey must’ve been on a serious time crunch because he tended to get antsy if they rested for too long.</p><p>“All right!! Come on, then!!” Wind grinned as he ran several paces ahead before doubling back and repeating the action. Even after several hours of playing in the water, Wind <em>still </em>hadn’t spent all his energy. Hyrule was a little jealous as he watched Wind run around the rocky edge of the lake, startling the fish with childish glee. He wished <em>he</em> had that kind of boundless energy.</p><p>As they followed the water’s edge through the forest, a lighthearted atmosphere befell the group as several members teased each other. Warriors was playfully threatening to shove Legend into the water, and the vet moved as far as hylianly possible from the edge of the lake.</p><p>The path that they followed was well worn, but was slowly becoming more overgrown. The road had branched off earlier, and they’d stuck to the right. Was this a shortcut? The water to their right was starting to drop away as they traveled along a steady incline. The forest to their left had quickly risen up into an imposing jagged cliff that he wasn’t sure anyone could climb without slicing their hands on the razor sharp shale.</p><p>The drop to the water was now at twenty feet at least, and the cliff’s height must’ve been twice that. A loud roaring sound came from up ahead, and Hyrule was able to catch a glimpse of a waterfall around the bend. Their path led directly underneath it.</p><p>“Careful up here, it gets a bit narrow.” Four warned them.</p><p>The path beneath the waterfall was wide enough for two people to cross shoulder-to-shoulder, but the ground was smooth and slick with the spray from the falls. The water below looked deep enough, but Hyrule also spied several large rocks jutting out of the water. If anyone fell, they could be seriously hurt or even killed. They’d have to be careful.</p><p>“Isn’t there a better path?” Time raised an eyebrow, raising his voice a bit to be heard above the thundering falls.</p><p>“The Eastward path will be impossible to cross after the rainfall from yesterday—unless you <em>want</em> to sink to the bottom of a quicksand-like mud pit.” Four replied, eyes seeming to flash blue for a brief moment before settling back on their usual grey. Hyrule shook his head, Four’s eyes tended to change color depending on the light—he was mildly jealous. It looked cool.</p><p>“And we can’t just backtrack and go up this cliff because…?” Legend crossed his arms, eyeing the sheer drop to the lake to their right.</p><p>“Because the only place <em>that</em> route leads to is a <em>dungeon</em>, and I figured that you’d rather watch your footing for a hot minute than go through <em>that</em>.” Four shook his head.</p><p>“That’s fair.” Sky nodded. None of them liked dungeons. Hyrule noted the confused look on Wild’s face and wondered if his dungeons were different from theirs. Did he even <em>have</em> dungeons?</p><p>“All right, then. In that case, we’ll head this way.” Time conceded. After all, they each knew their home Hyrules’ dangers better than the others. If Four would rather face a deadly fall than this particular dungeon, then they’d face the deadly fall.</p><p>It was one thing to take a swim on a hot day, but falling twenty or more feet down a sheer cliff into water with <em>armor</em> on was asking for death. Not to mention the fact that the water looked <em>deep</em> and there didn’t seem to be any good places to grapple to stay afloat. Beyond that, it looked like a strong current was whipping around those rocks, feeding into a nearby river.</p><p>Hyrule stepped carefully right behind Time, the group opting to go in single file for safety’s sake. The stone flooring of the mini-cavern-like overhang was incredibly slick and smooth, and he stuck a bit closer to the cliff for support. Wild was right behind him.</p><p>He thought he was being careful, but apparently careful wasn’t enough. His heart skipped several hard beats as his right foot slipped out from under him and his world tilted. A small yelp passed through his lips as he found himself tipping over the edge of the falls in what felt like slow motion. The garbled cries of the others were muffled in his abrupt panic as his mind conjured the image of the bottom of the falls.</p><p>Even a strong swimmer like Wind would have a hard time surviving a fall like that even <em>if</em> he missed the rocks. Someone like Hyrule, who was honestly hopeless in any form of water that went higher than his hips, would surely have no chance against a current like that. He was going to <em>die</em>.</p><p>The thought rang in his mind with a surety and clarity that he’d only experienced a handful of times on his journey. He was staring his own death in the face. His mind felt foggy and floaty, like it was trying to detach from his body to preserve some part of itself.</p><p>He was going to <em>die</em>.</p><p>It didn’t feel real, yet it felt <em>too</em> real at the same time.</p><p>He belatedly realized his hand was stretched out towards the person closest to him—Time. The one-eyed hero had a look of panic on his face as he reached out towards Hyrule, but they were too far from one another.</p><p>Then, Hyrule felt a firm calloused hand wrap around his wrist and time sped up almost jarringly so. Sound became crisp and clear and it was nearly <em>painful</em> to experience. Suddenly, the detachment was gone as suddenly as it had appeared, and everything was just <em>too much</em>.</p><p>Hyrule slammed hard into the safety of the cliff as he felt Time’s mildly shaking hands steady him, and it took him a brief moment to realize what had happened. Wild had saved him. But the momentum of pulling Hyrule up over that edge with such slippery footing had the younger hero hurtling towards the water instead.</p><p>“WILD!” Several people cried out.</p><p>Hyrule saw Wild’s eyes for a moment—there was the unmistakable gleam of <em>terror</em> in them. Wind, who’d been right behind Wild, reached out to grab Wild’s hand, but their fingers only scarcely brushed before Wild was too far away.</p><p>“<em>Hell</em>, no!” Then, out of nowhere and without an ounce of hesitation, Legend leapt off the face of the cliff after Wild; face set firmly into an expression of worried determination.</p><p>For a breathless moment, all anyone could do was stand there, wide-eyed, as they attempted to understand what happened. They couldn’t hear the splash over the roar of the waterfall. As it was, Hyrule was surprised to hear his own heart thundering in his ears as he breathed heavily, leaning against Time for support as he guided him the rest of the way along the path that had nearly been his death.</p><p>The path that could very well have been Wild and Legend’s death. He hastily swiped away the tears forming.</p><p>“T-the river… they’ll be swept along the river. We can reach it this way.” Four informed as they numbly regrouped on the other side. Wind looked to be kicking himself fiercely, staring at the hand that had brushed Wild’s.</p><p>One thought lingered in Hyrule’s mind. “You two’d better be okay.”</p><hr/><p>It had happened so quickly that Legend hardly had time to process everything. There were very few people Legend would literally die for, and damn near every one of them was in this group he traveled with. So seeing Hyrule—his <em>successor</em>—falling to what Legend <em>knew</em> would be his death had already spurred him into action. But then, out of nowhere, Wild was exactly where Legend wanted to be.</p><p>The next thing his brain processed was that Hyrule was <em>safe</em>. But the outcry of the group had him registering an image that he knew would haunt his nightmares for a while. Wild, falling over the edge with an unmistakable look of terror painted on his scarred visage; and Wind, hand outstretched <em>barely</em> touching Wild’s as a look of pure emotional <em>agony</em> marred the child’s face.</p><p>Wild was falling to what was very likely his death. Wild who, like Legend, had seemed extremely uncomfortable with the idea of getting in the water. The same guy who had given Legend an out to swimming earlier that day. Who would quietly sit with Legend in the silent hours of the night and speak of nothing so Legend wouldn’t feel so alone. Who would take nearly every sarcastic comment or prickly remark with a knowing smile.</p><p>Legend didn’t like many people. But he <em>liked</em> Wild. Wild understood a part of him that the others never saw. And he would <em>not</em> let Wild die. Secrets be damned.</p><p>He didn’t hesitate in jumping after him, ignoring the shocked screams that the others gave as he leapt from the cliff with all the strength of his legs. He slammed into Wild, knocking them both away from the deadly rocks at the base of the falls. Legend hissed as he hit the water, momentarily mistaking it for actually <em>being</em> a rock until he was suddenly floating in the deep waters of the lake.</p><p>Then he felt it.</p><p>A burning pain spiked in his legs as his lungs screamed for air. Legend twisted and thrashed in agony beneath the surface as his legs fused together—bones breaking, tendons snapping and muscles twisting together to form an entirely new piece of anatomy. It took him a moment to regain his coherency. He shook himself as his gills finally allowed him to breathe and kicked with his very <em>sore</em> tail to reach Wild who was struggling far too weakly.</p><p>He caught the unmistakable gleam of fear in his eyes and his heart clenched. It reminded him far too much of his own horrific experiences with shipwrecks and the like. Of the fear he felt when Koholint—</p><p>Legend mentally shook his head. He was <em>not</em> going to travel down that path today.</p><p>He hauled Wild to the surface, the whipping current doing little against his powerful tail. The other gasped and spluttered once his face hit the open air, and he clung to Legend like a frightened child. And honestly, Wild <em>looked</em> like a frightened child, and that didn’t sit well with the veteran.</p><p>“Hang on, I’ll get us somewhere calmer.” Legend promised. Thankfully, Wild looked awake and mostly aware, so he was fairly sure he didn’t have a concussion.</p><p>He had half a mind to backtrack to the edge of the lake where they’d had their morning swim, but he didn’t want to go through that waterfall route all over again. So he’d brave the rapids. They shouldn’t be <em>too</em> difficult with his mermish form, but it might frighten Wild.</p><p>“I… I’m okay.” Wild whispered in his ear. It was a bit of a relief to hear him talk.</p><p>“Look, I think we’re going to have to swim downriver. Think you can handle that?”</p><p>“I’m not sure if I’m <em>that</em> strong a swimmer.”</p><p>“No, I’ll handle the swimming.” Legend shook his head. “But will you be okay?”</p><p>“I…” Wild blinked, noticing his tail for the first time. “What’s that?”</p><p>Legend flushed. “A curse from my journey.”</p><p>“It’s so pretty.” Wild smiled softly as Legend started moving them through the water.</p><p>“You sure you’re okay? You panicked pretty badly.” He did <em>not</em> want to acknowledge the curse right now.</p><p>“I…” Wild went red this time. “I don’t like my head underwater. It reminds me of how my journey started.”</p><p>Legend winced. Journeys were bad enough, but most didn’t start out pretty. He recalled the start of his very first journey… his uncle had died. He doubted that Wild had an easier time of it, and judging by those scars the start wasn’t the worst bit. He didn’t pry. Even if he was curious.</p><p>He felt the water around him starting to tug more insistently. “Hold on, I think it’s going to get a bit rough for a minute.”</p><p>Wild clung tighter to him, trembling lightly. That fall must’ve really scared him. Legend felt a piece of his heart go out to his fellow hero. Damnit, he was getting attached.</p><p>He swam through the rapids, being as careful as he could to keep Wild’s head above the water, despite the difficulty that added. And Legend could only breathe in this form when his gills were beneath the surface, so technically they were both mildly drowning.</p><p>Finally, the rapids started to ease, and the bank of the river came into view. He helped Wild towards the edge first, who gratefully climbed onto the bank. He then turned to help Legend out of the water.</p><p>He sighed, accepting the hand as Wild hauled him up onto dry land. As usual, he fought down the initial panic of not being able to breathe. Just as the panic started to set in, he felt the familiar ache of his tail turning back into legs. The bones grew and snapped and separated into two distinct shapes with a stomach-churning crunching sound, and after about a minute of silent writhing agony, he found himself gulping down oxygen from the air. He blinked a few times and met the eyes of a very concerned Wild.</p><p>“I’m fine.” Legend reassured him as he experimentally flexed his ankles, making sure everything was in working order, ignoring the flare of pain the action sent up his legs.</p><p>“That looked painful.”</p><p>“It is.” Legend sighed as he leaned against a nearby rock. It was pleasantly warm against his back. “Please don’t tell the others. Nobody knows but you.”</p><p>“I know how to keep a secret.” Wild smiled. Legend had little doubt that Wild knew how to keep secrets. He seemed to hold nearly as many as Time.</p><p>The others would be worried sick, after that stunt they both pulled. He was <em>not</em> looking forward to the lecture they were sure to get.</p><p>“The others will probably follow the river to find us.” Legend spoke up. “We should probably just stay here. I won’t be able to walk for a couple of hours anyways.”</p><p>“Are you hurt?”</p><p>“No, but the transformation isn’t pleasant. Imagine walking with a fresh break on <em>top</em> of your leg waking up and that’s about what it feels like. Possible in a pinch, but I’d really rather not.”</p><p>Wild winced. “What’re you going to tell the others, then?”</p><p>“I don’t know. That I overdid it swimming against the rapids?” Legend shrugged. “The only person who could call me out on <em>not</em> technically being injured is Hyrule, and he wouldn’t rat me out like that.”</p><p>“That’s fair.” Wild nodded. “I also wanted to thank you.”</p><p>“Huh?” Legend blinked, turning back to face Wild.</p><p>“For jumping in after me…” He sat back against the rock that Legend had propped himself up against, head tilted up towards the sun. “And for trusting me with your secret.”</p><p>“You really think I’d let you die?” Legend scoffed. Wild shot him a smile before turning back to study the clouds.</p><p>“One of my first memories… the very start of my journey… began underwater.”</p><p>Legend startled. Was… was Wild talking about his <em>journey</em> to <em>Legend</em>?! They all had realized that his journey was a touchy subject. He’d shy away from the topic or outright refuse to speak of it whenever possible. So… why was he…?</p><p>“A secret for a secret, right?” Wild turned towards Legend with a knowing glint in his eye. “See, my Hyrule has some pretty cool stuff. One of the Sheikah Shrines we’ve got can… <em>heal</em> a lot of damage.” He turned to gaze at the deceitfully calm waters. “I was put into that shrine when I got hurt pretty badly, and it took all my memories as it healed me. I was in there for a long time.”</p><p>Legend idly wondered if that injury was what gave him those scars. He wanted to ask, but the air felt… almost solid. He knew that speaking would break whatever spell had befallen the two, and Wild may never speak of this again.</p><p>“The way it works is by submerging the injured person in some kind of liquid. It isn’t <em>quite</em> water, but it certainly feels like it. Thing is, for whatever reason, you can’t drown in it. But you can’t breathe, either.”</p><p>Legend’s eyes widened as he realized the implications of Wild’s words. He was perpetually drowning for Hylia knows how long, and couldn’t die.</p><p>“It… was utterly petrifying. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t die. I couldn’t see or really move, and everything <em>hurt</em>, and the space was <em>so small</em>. I felt like I was buried in a coffin.” Wild shuddered hard. “This is my first memory—<em>fear</em>.”</p><p>Legend hesitated before carefully placing a hand on Wild’s shoulder. For the first time, he didn’t flinch outright. He <em>twitched</em>, but didn’t flinch. He could practically <em>feel</em> something solidify between the two. A form of trust that Wild hadn’t given anyone else yet. Legend felt unspeakably honored.</p><p>“My journey didn’t start easy, either.” The veteran spoke softly. If they were going to sit here and wait for the others, then it shouldn’t be in silence. “It started with a dream…”</p><hr/><p>The atmosphere among the group was tense. Even Wind didn’t utter a sound as they followed the river at a brisk pace, hoping that their brothers would be okay. Hyrule’s mind was playing out worst-case scenarios one after another, and he kept clenching and unclenching his fist in anxiety.</p><p>He’d already taken out a few red potions as well as some magic potions in case he needed to heal something major. Time and Four were at the forefront of the group.</p><p>It was due to this tense silence that had befallen them that they were able to catch the faint sound of laughter up ahead. They shared looks and picked up the pace, many all but running through the foliage.</p><p>What they found was Wild and Legend sitting against a large boulder. Both were laughing hard as Legend was trying to tell him some kind of story. They were wet, but looked relatively unharmed. Hyrule felt something inside him relax and he finally felt able to breathe.</p><p>“Wild! Legend!” Hyrule ran ahead, having been among the first to spot them. The two turned to greet the group. “You’re okay!”</p><p>“Hyrule! Guys!” Wild grinned. He was a little pale, but didn’t look as shaken as Hyrule expected him to be. Perhaps because of the story Legend had been telling him.</p><p>“We were so worried!” Wind cried, swiping some tears from his eyes. “I’m sorry, Wild! I tried to catch you!”</p><p>“Hey, it’s okay Wind. I’m fine. Legend’s fine. It turned out okay, and I know you tried your best.” Wild smiled.</p><p>“You could’ve followed the river towards us.” Twilight huffed, relief evident in his expression and tone. “We weren’t sure <em>what</em> we were going to find.”</p><p>“That’s my fault.” Legend scowled. “I can’t walk right now. My legs hurt like hell. Those rapids were <em>strong</em>.”</p><p>“Let me have a look.” Hyrule came over instantly, using his magic to get a feel for any damage done. Legend hissed lightly when he pressed against his shin, and Hyrule <em>knew</em> Legend had a high pain tolerance.</p><p>The fact that he couldn’t contain the winces and small hisses as he assessed the damage was more than enough to tell him that Legend was honestly in <em>pain</em>. The thing was, he couldn’t find more than some faint traces of strange magic. Had Legend used a spell?</p><p>“I’ll be fine in a couple of hours.” He insisted, and since Hyrule could find nothing physically wrong, he had to take him at his word.</p><p>“Well, there’s no physical damage. I’m guessing this has happened before?” Hyrule looked at his mentor with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>“There’s a reason I don’t like swimming.” Legend scowled.</p><p>“Well, we can’t just sit here all day.” Warriors tilted his head. “I can give you a ride?”</p><p>“With <em>you</em>?” Legend glared. “I think I’d rather <em>crawl</em>.”</p><p>Wild perked up. “I can grab you something to ride?”</p><p>“Something… to ride?” Time raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“Yeah! Hold on a minute, I’ll get you a mount!” Before anyone could question him, Wild was off. Everyone just stared at the empty spot for a long minute.</p><p>“If he’s going to pull me with a <em>leaf</em>, I’m going to feed him Hyrule’s cooking.”</p><p>“Hey!” Hyrule protested. “I’m not <em>that</em> bad!”</p><p>“No, you’re <em>worse</em>.” Legend retorted.</p><p>“I’m <em>back</em>!” Wild shouted.</p><p>“Well that was fas—<em>Wild what is that?!</em>” Four jumped ten feet at the sight of Wild riding atop a <em>bear</em> of all things. While the beast looked irritated, it obeyed Wild’s commands like a trained horse.</p><p>“A bear? I was going to find a deer, but he scared them all off, so I had to make do.” Was… was Wild really trying to shrug this off?</p><p>“You had to make do…” Twilight stared incredulously.</p><p>“Wait. You mean you want me to <em>ride</em> that?” Legend stared at Wild. Hyrule was sure it wasn’t the craziest thing Legend had done, but it ultimately came down to riding a bear vs piggyback with Warriors. The traveler knew exactly which option Legend would take once he realized that.</p><p>“It’s fine. I’ll ride with you.” Wild insisted as he slid off the back of the beast. The bear looked like it had half a mind to take a chunk out of Wild, but the hero just turned and stared the bear straight in the eye, causing the <em>bear</em> to <em>back down</em>.</p><p>What was this kid made of? Hyrule spent plenty of time out in the wilderness, and though he had very little wildlife, he’d still run across a bear or two. They were <em>never</em> one to just submit.</p><p>Wild helped Legend to his feet, the injured hero clenching his teeth against the pain. Hyrule helped steady him on the other side as they slowly meandered towards the bear. It took nearly a minute to get him over to the bear, and Hyrule knew that they would be getting nowhere without a mount for Legend. He must’ve been in a lot more pain than he’d originally thought. He slipped his mentor a red potion just in case, making sure Legend knew it was there.</p><p>He opted to walk beside the bear as they traveled, Wild riding right behind Legend so he could steady him if he started to fall.</p><p>“I can’t believe he’s <em>riding a bear</em>.” Warriors stated with a shake of his head.</p><p>“I can’t believe Wild <em>caught</em> a bear.” Sky agreed. “It’s not gonna… eat us, is it?”</p><p>“Nah.” Wild grinned, waving away the concern of the Chosen Hero. “I’ve tamed enough bears to know how to handle one. They’re like Stalhorses! You’ve just gotta know how to calm them down.”</p><p>“Stalhorses? Like a skeletal horse ridden by a <em>Stalfos</em>?!” Twilight balked as Time turned his eye towards Wild with an expression of upmost disbelief.</p><p>“Yep. I figured if <em>they</em> could ride them, then so could I!” Wild beamed.</p><p>“You’re unbelievable.” Warriors shook his head with a grin. “How’d you <em>learn</em> to tame a bear anyways?”</p><p>“It’s like taming a wild horse but with claws.”</p><p>“You have wild horses in your Hyrule?” Time asked.</p><p>“Yeah. The only way to get a horse is to catch one yourself.” Wild explained. “I tried to tell you that in Twi’s Hyrule, but I didn’t know the signs for it.”</p><p>“So <em>that’s</em> why you own multiple horses!” Four realized.</p><p>“Yeah. What, you thought I bought them all?” Wild tilted his head.</p><p>“We honestly didn’t know what to think. None of our Hyrules have wild horses.” Twilight informed.</p><p>“Oh.” Something dark flickered across Wild’s face, but it was gone before he could identify it. “Well, if we ever land in my Hyrule, we’ll have horses enough for everyone. And we’ll need it—you can’t really get anywhere without one.”</p><p>“So your Hyrule is big? Like Twilight’s?” Wind asked, speaking up for the first time since his apology.</p><p>“Yeah.” Wild nodded. “Though horses can’t make it everywhere. Lots of places require going off-trail.”</p><p>“Look! You can see my forge from here!” Four called out, eyes shining red in the sunset.</p><p>“Finally! Let’s get some food!! You up to cook, Wild?” Warriors laughed.</p><p>“Always!” Wild grinned.</p><p>Hyrule glanced back over at Wild and Legend. Something had happened. They were a lot more comfortable with each other than they had been before. And he couldn’t remember ever hearing Legend laugh like he’d heard earlier. It made him both jealous and happy. Perhaps one day, he’d be able to get Legend to open up to him like that. But for now, knowing that they both had someone to confide in was enough.</p><p>He smiled as they entered the little home, sunset warming his back. The image of everyone settled around an actual kitchen as Wild cooked up a grand feast would be burned into his very soul. He would treasure this family that Hylia had given him until his final day.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Secrets Shared</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This chapter, we see things from Four's point of view. This was my first time writing Four and the Colors, so please be nice! :3 Also, Four just kinda... took this chapter over. Oof. So I apologize that there isn't much Wild in this one. Next chapter will be Wind, so look forward to that!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Four awoke to the sound of rustling fabric. They cracked open an eye to find that Wild, Legend and Hyrule were sneaking out the front door of the house.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Think we should follow?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red asked around a yawn.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Nah, they’re just going to find trouble. Best not to be part of it.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue replied with a mental shrug.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“But what if they get hurt?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red was falling into full worry-mode.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hyrule’s with them.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio reminded him.</span>
  <em>
    <span> “They’ll be fine. Besides, Legend is fairly responsible. With Legend </span>
  </em>
  <span>and</span>
  <em>
    <span> Hyrule, even Wild should be fine.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s pretty early.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Green noted as they glanced out the window. The pre-dawn light was lightening the sky as a thick layer of fog drowned the world in an ethereal veil.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Green took control of the body and stretched, popping joints quietly before climbing out of bed. Since it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>their</span>
  </em>
  <span> house everyone was staying in, Time insisted that Four keep their own bed. Fine by them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They finally felt back to normal for the first time since going through that damn portal. They were all fairly sure that Hylia had either forgotten or hadn’t fully realized that Four was still, well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>four people</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And it was absolute </span>
  <em>
    <span>hell</span>
  </em>
  <span> going through those portals.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It felt like someone was trying to rip them apart, and if they were lucky they only mildly struggled to sort everything out upon landing. The first time they went through a portal, they feared they’d lost Green, who’d been unconscious for </span>
  <em>
    <span>hours</span>
  </em>
  <span> after the portal. And none of them had ever been unconscious while merged before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the most part, they all sort of shared control. For battles, Blue or Vio tended to take over, because they were the stronger and smarter of the four of them. Whenever someone needed an ear, Red was always willing to listen, and when a mediator was required that was Green’s job.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But sometimes it was nice to just </span>
  <em>
    <span>have a body</span>
  </em>
  <span> for a change. Before joining the other Links, they were separated more often than not. It was nice to have extra hands to help out, but even better to have the company. The others just happened to find them when they were merged, and none of them knew how to explain the situation without sounding absolutely insane, having been unable to separate due to an injury at the time. So they opted to wait until the right time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ‘right time’ never came. These past few months have been the longest stretch they’d gone without separating, and things were getting more than a little cramped. They bickered often and more than once someone had responded aloud, garnering concerned glances from the others, which only made them all even </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span> nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In short, it was becoming a train wreck disaster, and none of them could find the time or opportunity to slip away and separate for a few hours. But perhaps here, in Four’s home Hyrule, they could find somewhere to take a breather.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Green carefully slipped out of the house, relishing in the cool morning air. His feet followed the path to the bench they’d made behind the forge where a tiny house sat on either side that Red had insisted on making for any traveling Minish. Blue put up special fencing around the area to deter as many predators as possible, and Green planted a ton of thick foliage for cover from both airborne predators and the rain. Vio made little stone pathways so the Minish would always have a solid path to a safe place, with a little runoff area so the rain didn’t pool on the path.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Together, they’d made a little safe haven for any Minish that needed it. It was much appreciated, and a small village had cropped up somewhere in their backyard. They’d visit occasionally, and would often find little treasures or rupees hidden in their house and on their property.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unlike the other Links, they didn’t really have any other Hylians that’d care about them. Well, there was Smith, but he was off doing work in a neighboring country. They had no remaining family since their father died during their Second Journey. The village nearby would rather watch him burn than worry over him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Don’t get them wrong, most people in their Hyrule thought they were fine, if a bit strange. A few people seemed to think they were traumatized or something (and maybe they were, but that was their business). It was only this one singular village that hated them, but that was because this was the village they grew up with. These people had known Four before they were four. Back when they were one person and simply </span>
  <em>
    <span>Link</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Smith’s apprentice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had taken them a while after their journey’s end to figure out how to separate without drawing the Foursword each time. They’d also had a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad habit of speaking to one another aloud instead of through their mental link. As such, Four was known as… less than sane. Mothers warned their children to stay away from them. And some people were even starting to think they were possessed by evil.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It always made Red depressed to see the people they’d fought so hard to protect whispering venomously behind their backs. Thankfully, their forge was a ways away from the village, so none of the other Links had any clue about Four’s less than ideal reputation. And since Vio always insisted on stocking up whenever they had the chance, the house had everything they needed, so there was never an excuse for the others to visit the nearby town.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dot was completely unaware of how the village treated them. And they were sure that she’d be overjoyed if they moved to Castle Town, but they just couldn’t bear to leave the forge behind. This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Smith’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> secret forge, a place passed down through Smith’s family. Nobody but Dot, Four, and now the other Links, knew about it. They couldn’t just let it go when it meant so much to them.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Green sighed as he watched the light from the stained glass window dancing on the grass. The greens and blues swayed on the blades as purples and reds reflected the vibrancy of the morning sun. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How he wished they could separate again. He missed having the others physically there with him. Despite this, a small part of him was secretly relishing in being treated as one person. He was sure they were all secretly enjoying it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though they knew it couldn’t last forever, it was nice to be treated like a normal person again. Perhaps that was why they were all hesitant to reveal this secret to the group. They knew they’d understand. But… what if they </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Get your head out of the shadows, Green.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio gently poked him mentally. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“We’re all okay. Things are fine.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“This journey can’t be that much longer, right?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue chimed in. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Once it’s over, we can go back to how things used to be.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“But… I’m going to miss everyone… and it doesn’t feel right to leave on a lie.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red sniffled.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Do </span>
  </em>
  <span>you</span>
  <em>
    <span> want to tell them?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue challenged.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“N-no…”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red whined. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t!!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It might be better this way.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio reminded him gently. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“But if the opportunity arises…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Then we’ll separate.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Green agreed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Like in a battle or something. Something that’ll show them how useful we are… then they’ll have to accept us.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I think Wild and the others are coming back.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio informed, and Green looked up to realize he was right. He mentally thanked Red for putting up a taller gardening fence around the Minish paths they’d made, otherwise the group may have trampled all over the tiny walkways that were supposed to be safe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Four! You’re up early!” Hyrule grinned and waved. “Wild’s about to start breakfast!! Fresh eggs!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four smiled. “I’ll be right in.” They promised. “Just doing a little yard work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Need a hand?” Wild tilted his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, thanks, though. I like to do it myself. Helps me relax.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, then.” He smiled and headed inside. For as good as Wild was at cooking out in the forest, he was even </span>
  <em>
    <span>better</span>
  </em>
  <span> in a proper kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They let their smile drop the moment the others were out of sight. Despite their earlier thoughts, it was hard to pretend. To pretend to be one person. To be something they weren’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I said that’s enough dark thoughts.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio reprimanded. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Now I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting hungry. We should head in.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Right.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Green nodded absently as he stood and stretched, letting control bleed back between the four of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps such a thing would be awkward for someone else, but they’d been one person long before they’d been four. And controlling one body wasn’t that different from controlling their own, so long as they didn’t argue against anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like trying to get Red to drink milk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The smell hit them full force when they entered the house and a smile spread across Four’s lips. “Smells fantastic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wild’s making something I can’t pronounce! It smells so good!” Wind beamed, jumping around.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Who gave the brat sugar?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Shush, you.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio rolled his eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I think it’s cute.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Breakfast was a lively and upbeat affair. Whatever fancy dish Wild had cooked up was far above anything else Four had ever tasted. They really hoped they’d be staying here in this Hyrule for a while if this was how they were going to eat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any clue what we need to do here?” Twilight asked, leaning back in his chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, none. But there’s a good chance that the knights stationed in the fort a half day’s walk from here might’ve heard something.” Four mused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you once mention a town that’s closer? Maybe they’ve heard of something?” Warriors suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Four answered just a little too quickly. “I-I mean, the outpost would have a better opportunity for us, is all.” They could tell at a glance that the hurried excuse had done nothing to fool the others. They sighed, fidgeting with their headband. “The village and I… don’t exactly get along.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s an understatement.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio remarked dryly.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“If by ‘don’t get along’ you mean ‘tries to murder us whenever we stop by’, then yeah! We don’t get along.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue tossed in.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“They don’t try to murder us, stop exaggerating.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red protested. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“They still throw things at us. At the very least, they don’t care if we sustain substantial injury.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Vio pointed out, causing Red to sigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t get along?” Legend raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d like to leave it at that, please.” Red spoke up before letting control fade back to the rest of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“O…kay.” Time said slowly. “In that case, we’ll head for the outpost.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four let their shoulders sag in relief. They dodged that arrow. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Barely</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The walk wasn’t that bad. The sun was beating down warmly upon them, but the cool breeze of the coming autumn kept everyone at a comfortable temperature.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As per usual, Wild didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered by the hike. He walked gracefully over rough dirt patches and didn’t even stumble over rocks. He even seemed to subconsciously avoid the rare Minish that darted across the path, often mistaken for a mouse.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s like he’s more animal than Hylian.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Blue noted.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t be rude!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Red chastised. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“He’s just as Hylian as… everyone else.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You couldn’t even say ‘the rest of us’.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue deadpanned.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well, I like to think we’re part Minish. I mean, we are honorary Minish!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“As nice as that is, Red, we’re still Hylian.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“He breaks so many weapons, though. That can’t be pure Hylian strength.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue argued.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“He does have a bad habit of breaking them, but I don’t think we should hold it against him!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Red defended.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’re just saying that because you like his food.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Green smirked.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“NO!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red paused. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Okay, maybe a little, but his food is so good!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah, but he still breaks his weapons. That’s bad.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio reminded them both.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hold on.” Wild stopped, holding up a hand as his ears twitched. “I hear something up ahead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just how good </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> your hearing?” Warriors asked in disbelief. Four couldn’t hear anything either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go check it out.” Time spoke up before strolling ahead, Twilight on his heels. They were back in just a few minutes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Monster camp over the ridge.” Twilight grimaced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right. How many?” Warriors asked, slipping into his captain mode.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t seem too bad, but there’s a couple Wizzrobes.” Twilight sighed and shook his head. Four mentally groaned. Wizzrobes were such a pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a Moblin camp.” Time explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have Wizzrobes, too?” Wild blinked at Four.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.” They shook their head. “I’m more surprised </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> have them. I thought you said your Hyrule didn’t have much magic?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> couldn’t really use magic. Most Hylians can’t. But my Hyrule is full of magic and mystery.” Wild grinned wistfully. It was something they’d all realized—Wild </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved</span>
  </em>
  <span> his Hyrule. It was a little odd, considering his reluctance to talk about his journey. Hyrule seemed just as reluctant to talk about </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> journey, but from the little they’d glimpsed of his Hyrule, he wasn’t a fan of the land he called home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right, then we should plan accordingly.” Time and Warriors started hashing out a fairly simple plan. Wild and Twilight would snipe the Wizzrobes while Hyrule watched their backs. Once the area was clear of them, the rest of the group would head in and engage the Moblins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wild, Twilight; once the Wizzrobes are out of the picture, I want you to engage the enemy, too.” Time stated. “The Wizzrobes float high enough for ranged combat to be effective, but the Moblins are in a well-covered area. Arrows won’t do us much good, here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Wild smirked confidently. “Leave it to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The plan started off well enough. Four just couldn’t get over how good Wild was with a bow. Even </span>
  <em>
    <span>Blue</span>
  </em>
  <span> was impressed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I wonder if we should look into making arrows? It might be cheaper for us all if we learned the craft, what with how Wild relies on his bow.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red mused.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I mean, I don’t see why not? But making arrows is vastly different from forging swords. It’ll take us some time to learn it properly.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Vio responded.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Either way… we can talk about this later.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Green cut in. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Look, the last Wizzrobe’s nearly out— GO! It’s time to move!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Four rushed in alongside the others, Red taking primary physical control while Vio analyzed their enemies. The Moblins were stronger than they should’ve been—they were obviously infected. Their suspicions were confirmed when they managed to get a good slice in and a viscous black substance oozed from the wound. Four quickly ducked under an angry swipe from their foe, knocking it back with a well-timed thrust with their shield. The Moblin stumbled, foot slipping on a loose rock. They didn’t let the opportunity go to waste as they thrust the Foursword deeply into the Moblin’s neck, ending its life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four saw a flash of blue from the corner of their eye as the Moblin disintegrated into black smoke. Wild was fighting with a sword. Four realized that—aside from their first encounter with the hero—none of them had seen him fighting at close range.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other hero was up against a Moblin with a particularly nasty personality. Even so, the scarred youth’s face was alight with a feral grin. Wild looked like he was having a blast, and the shiny new sword in his hand from Twilight’s Hyrule was serving him well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His style was certainly ferocious and unreformed. There was a distinct edge of </span>
  <em>
    <span>feral</span>
  </em>
  <span> to the way Wild fought. As if he’d learned by watching monsters. Four abruptly realized that he very well </span>
  <em>
    <span>may</span>
  </em>
  <span> have learned how to fight by watching monsters due to his amnesia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They did a quick sweep of the battlefield to make sure nobody needed help, but everyone was finishing up their own fights. Legend dispatched his Moblin with little hassle and Warriors was helping Wind with his two Moblins. For being infected, these monsters really hadn’t given them much trouble. Vio frowned as he chewed on that thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four was heading towards Wild to lend a hand just as the unthinkable happened. Wild ducked under an attack and swung his blade at </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> the wrong angle, shattering the weapon into far too many pieces for Four to salvage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of steel shattering reverberated throughout the mostly empty battlefield. While Wild had ‘told’ them about his weapons occasionally breaking when they first met, Four had never really </span>
  <em>
    <span>seen</span>
  </em>
  <span> it. And they certainly never expected to see one break mid-battle like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a breathless moment of ‘oh shit’ as the realization hit the group as a whole. Wild was without a weapon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Warriors, Four and Legend made to rush over and help him fight, but Wild took his weapon shattering with the sort of nonchalance of a daily occurrence. He spun away from a slash from the Moblin, and twisted part of the Moblin’s wrist, loosening its hold as he </span>
  <em>
    <span>stole</span>
  </em>
  <span> the Moblin’s weapon. Wild wasted no time in skewering the enemy’s neck with its own blade, causing his foe to disintegrate into a puff of black smoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four immediately rushed over with Hyrule to assess the damage to their newest member, as Wild calmly tested the weight of the sword he’d stolen from the monster. He didn’t seem too badly hurt, but…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four had never seen someone use a technique like that with that kind of </span>
  <em>
    <span>practice.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Not for the first time, they wondered what kind of place Wild’s Hyrule was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You aren’t seriously going to take that, are you?” Twilight asked, eyeing the weapon with distaste as Hyrule tended to the cuts on Wild’s arm, which he </span>
  <em>
    <span>insisted</span>
  </em>
  <span> was fine. There were pieces of </span>
  <em>
    <span>sword</span>
  </em>
  <span> embedded in his arm and he was acting like they were </span>
  <em>
    <span>splinters</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Four idly noted that Wild was likely the type to hide his injuries, and resolved to warn Time and Hyrule—if they hadn’t already deduced the same thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Wild tilted his head. “Why not? It’s a perfectly good sword.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perfectly good…?” Vio echoed aloud in disbelief. “Monsters aren’t known for taking good care of their weapons. That won’t last you long…” A thought suddenly occurred to him. “Wait… do you steal </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> your weapons from monsters?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I do. How else am I supposed to get them?” Wild answered simply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four glanced over towards the sound of Time groaning and smacking his forehead with his fist quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No wonder your weapons always break!” Blue took over for a brief moment. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Please</span>
  </em>
  <span> tell me you know how to care for your weapons?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…?” Wild stared at Time and Four with an uncertain look. “You wipe off the blood the first chance you get?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, that explained a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No wonder they’re always breaking! No matter how good the weapon is, if it’s not cared for properly it’ll break at some point.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Vio groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey, it’s not his fault he’s got amnesia.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red reminded them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“He probably didn’t even know that weapons needed maintenance.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haha… Not quite. I’ll teach you how to take care of your blades.” Warriors promised, slinging an arm around Wild with a grin. The shorter hero flinched a bit at the contact, but he was starting to flinch less. Though Four noticed that Wild didn’t flinch at all when Legend initiated physical contact. Perhaps they were a bit closer than they first thought? It probably had something to do with the waterfall incident the other day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure I knew once, but…” Wild trailed off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll look into making you something a bit more durable.” Four said, and Wild’s grin was unbelievably wide. “When we get to your Hyrule, I’m going to have a talk with some of your blacksmiths.” Vio promised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good luck.” Wild grimaced. “The only blacksmith I can think of off the top of my head is a Goron. But if you wanted to teach some Hylians, I’d be really grateful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The more I hear about your Hyrule, the more curious I become.” Warriors stated. “Gorons are your blacksmiths? They aren’t known for making the sharpest weapons. Most of their gear relies on brute strength.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that Cobble Crusher is really hard to swing.” Wild nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cobble…? Do I </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to know?” Hyrule grinned as Wild laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Four?” Legend looked up from the bag he was rummaging around in. “Do you know a good place to restock? We’re running low on medical supplies and I gave Wind the last red potion we had for the gash on his arm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got supplies at my house.” They answered easily. “We can restock there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a plan.” Warriors grinned. “And I’m curious what Wild’s got in store for dinner tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I actually started it before we left. A nice slow-cooked meat-based dish I learned from the Gerudo. It sits and simmers for about 10-12 hours, so it should be ready by the time we get back.” Wild grinned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>wait</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Wind beamed. “It sounds </span>
  <em>
    <span>amazing</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps it was due to the fact that it was mostly downhill, but the trip back seemed to be a lot faster and easier than the trip to the monster camp. Four smiled as they saw their home in the distance. They’d never get tired of being able to call this place their own.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t forget to stock up on those medical supplies!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio reminded them the moment they walked through the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Green muttered aloud, and Wind gave him an odd look. “I was just remembering that we should grab those medical supplies.” He covered as he headed towards the supply closet.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Uh oh…</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Red winced when they opened the door. The supplies that they were </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure</span>
  </em>
  <span> should’ve been there… were gone. There were still things there, yes, but…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Smith.” Green groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Isn’t he out of the country?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Red frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pardon?” Twilight came over to glance at the pantry, and Blue mentally cursed at the fact that he didn’t even need to </span>
  <em>
    <span>try</span>
  </em>
  <span> to see over their head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fucking tall people.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Blue!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio glared. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Language!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Bite me.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“My old blacksmith master, Smith. He must’ve swung by and raided my supplies.” Red answered, seeing as Green was busy trying to break up another fight between Blue and Vio. “At least, it’s all I can think of. I know I had more supplies than this… But nobody’s broken in. I can’t think of anyone else… Nobody else but him and Dot know about this place... but last I heard he was out of the country for an indefinite period of time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What about the villagers?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Blue spoke up softly. There was a hesitance to his voice that normally wasn’t there.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“They wouldn’t!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red denied. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Besides! They don’t even know about this place!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wouldn’t they?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue challenged. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>They could’ve just stumbled upon it. You know how they are… They want us gone. If they heard we were out of town, they could’ve ransacked the place.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“But they didn’t ransack the place.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio reminded him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“There was no sign of forced entry, and nothing of any true value was stolen. Besides, we’ve been extra careful to make sure they don’t know where we live.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Four?” Hyrule tilted his head as they realized they’d been quiet for a moment too long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, it’s just strange. Smith’s the only one that makes sense, anyone else would’ve ransacked the place.” They sighed. “But I haven’t seen Smith in years—I last heard that he was several countries away. I really doubt it was him. But other than him, Dot, and you guys, nobody else knows about this place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’ve been robbed but only your potions and medical supplies were taken?” Time affirmed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It seems so.” They shook their head. What a mess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I guess we’ll have to gather fresh supplies.” Sky spoke up. Four’s heart skipped several beats.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No, if they go to the village—”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It was bound to happen at some point, Red.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Vio sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“We’ll just… have to deal with it. And maybe the villagers won’t be as bad when we’re with such a large heavily armed group?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“We can hope.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Green mentally shook his head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“We can also stay home? I mean, it’s not like we </span>
  </em>
  <span>have</span>
  <em>
    <span> to go with them?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No, you know the rules.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Vio shook his head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“We just fought off a group of infected monsters. Chances are high of a switch soon. There’s no way Time would let us split up like that now. Half and half? Maybe if it were somewhere in the general vicinity like an inn within a town. But not across a distance like </span>
  </em>
  <span>that</span>
  <em>
    <span>.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s… a town nearby.” Green spoke hesitantly, barely holding back a wince as Red mentally kicked him for suggesting it. Red then wrestled control over, trying to figure out some way to keep the others from the town. “I can go and resupply—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it’d be better to stick together.” Time dashed the plan immediately, confirming Vio’s theory. Red sunk back in quiet despair, allowing Green to take back control as Vio sent Red a mental glare. “We just fought off a camp of infected monsters, and have no idea when the next Switch will come. I’d rather we all stay as close together as possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess that’s fair.” Wild nodded. “All right, then. Show us the way, Four.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was still an hour or so of daylight left, and the town was no more than thirty minutes away. They had time to gather supplies and be back by dark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could just stay here—watch the pot and stuff?” Blue tried. He had as much inclination of going to that place as Red. Time gave them a raised eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said you and the village don’t get along, right?” Hyrule recalled. “I’m sure it’ll be fine for a quick trip. But if it’s going to get dangerous, I’m sure we can find somewhere else to resupply?” That garnered a few odd looks from the others, but Hyrule held Four’s gaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hyrule, of all of them, had been the only one to deduce that it could be </span>
  <em>
    <span>dangerous</span>
  </em>
  <span> to visit a town. Four found themselves questioning just what </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hyrule’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> Hyrule was like.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s… It shouldn’t be dangerous.” Green started.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Liar.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue hissed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It isn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>dangerous</span>
  <em>
    <span>.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Red pouted</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just… unpleasant for me.” Green continued on, ignoring Red with a practiced ease. He tried his best not to show how uneasy he was at the idea of making this trip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s get going, then.” Vio stated, taking back over. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“We’re getting nowhere. Obviously, we need to resupply—there’s no getting around that. I’d rather face some flying pots and scathing looks than have someone die because we were too afraid to face the music.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The other three mentally sighed. Vio was right. They had no real choice in this matter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” Hyrule asked quietly as the others started moving out the door. “If you need me to cover for you somehow, I will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… I really appreciate that, Hyrule. But it’s not like I’ll be attacked with so many people around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“GREEN!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Vio cried out. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“You just admitted we would be attacked otherwise!!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Hyrule seemed to pick up on this, too, because he patted Four on the shoulder. “I get it. I’m not well liked in my villages, either. If you need anything, I’m here, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.” Four gave him a smile as they set out.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“So Hyrule’s like us?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red asked as they walked.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Seems so.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio nodded. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Or, at the very least, he didn’t get any positive attention from his people.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s sad.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red sniffled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Not even Vaati?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue challenged.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Not even Vaati.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The walk wasn’t long. It was about a half hour before they found their way into town. Four hesitated at the threshold, feeling the aura of unwelcome radiating from the place. The whispers started almost as soon as they spotted Four. They tried their best to distance themselves from the group so that maybe the stigma wouldn’t follow them, but Hyrule insisted on walking beside Four.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The others picked up on the unusual treatment fairly quickly. “They… aren’t too used to strangers, are they?” Twilight asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, not really.” Four answered quietly. Perhaps their answer was a tad clipped, because Legend shot them a calculating look. Hyrule placed a friendly hand on their shoulder, reminding them that he was there. He looked sad, but not confused. Like he’d expected such treatment. Looked like Vio was right again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The potions shop is over there, and the shop for medicine is that way.” Four gestured. “It… might be best if you guys go in without me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Great job, Green. Now they’re going to be way more suspicious than they already were!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Blue glared.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah, well, it’s still better than the alternative.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Green argued back as they eyed a shopkeeper glaring at them from the window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time looked at Four for a long moment before nodding. “Twilight, you take Hyrule, Sky, Warriors and Wind to gather the medical supplies. Four, Wild, Legend and I will tackle the potions.” Four sighed a bit in relief. At least they’d get the medical supplies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Twilight nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Be careful.” Hyrule said as Twilight started to lead his group away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Word of advice.” Four stopped Hyrule before he could head out. “Don’t mention that you know me.” He looked at Four for a few seconds before nodding; an understanding gleam in his eye. They let him go, and he quickly rejoined the others.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right, let’s get this over with.” Legend huffed, but stopped when he saw Four standing a fair distance from the group. “What’re you doing over there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s best if I don’t go in with you.” Four answered, shuffling their feet as they caught a few women gossiping about them nearby. Wild glanced towards the women before turning his attention back to Four.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll stay out here with you, then.” Wild offered, coming to stand beside them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time and Legend shared a look. “We’ll try to be fast.” Time promised before heading in. They were only in there a moment before they were sent right back out. Four winced, instantly understanding what had occurred.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She kicked you out, didn’t she?” They guessed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She said ‘any friend of </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> isn’t welcome here’.” Legend scowled and made a rude gesture towards the shop. “Mind explaining?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just… People don’t like me, here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time, Wild, and Legend shared a concerned look. Time was about to open his mouth to ask something, when a villager cut him off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn straight we don’t like you!” An older man marched over, looking ready to chuck the pot he was carrying right at Four’s face. He seemed to think better of it once he saw the weapons Time and Legend were carrying. “You’re nuttier than a squirrel! Why, it’s no wonder your whore of a mother chucked you into the river as a babe! Shame you didn’t drown.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four recoiled like they were slapped. They’d been found in the river as a toddler by Smith many years ago. It was assumed that Four had either fallen in and drifted downriver, or their mother had attempted to drown them. Four’s biological parents were never found, so nobody really knew. They were adopted by their father when they were three—a man who was a strong knight and a gentle and loving parent. He passed during their second journey. Either way, the insult hurt more than it should’ve, and Red was just about ready to cry. Blue bristled in fury, and Green was just trying to calm everyone down. Which left Vio in charge of the body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me, </span>
  <em>
    <span>sir</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Time stepped between the man and Four, a frighteningly blank expression on his face. His eye was shadowed, and Four caught the gleam of unbridled </span>
  <em>
    <span>fury</span>
  </em>
  <span> in that bright blue gaze. Time’s eye was so dark it looked like a storm cloud. His tone cut off the commotion in their head, causing all four of them to pay attention. “But I do </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> appreciate you insulting my friend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha! Friend?!” The man laughed. “He didn’t even tell ya, did he?! He’s keeseshit crazy! Kid talks to himself and holds whole conversations like he’s got other people living in his head! Ever since that ‘adventure’ of his, he’s lost it! And several of us are starting to think he’s been possessed by evil. He’s not welcome here. And if you’re with him, neither are you. This town has nothing to sell you. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Leave</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why, you—” Legend was cut off by Time, who approached the man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t believe you understand the situation, sir.” He spoke with a calmness that belied the raging tempest within. “Perhaps we should take this conversation elsewhere?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Four could blink, Time was dragging the man out of sight. They stared, unable to process the fact that </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone stood up for them</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Sure, Time had always seemed like a nice guy, but never had any of them dared to hope that he’d do something like that for them. To defend their honor in such a way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I want to know what happened?” Warriors asked as the second group rejoined them, medical supplies in hand. Twilight and Sky looked furious, and Four realized they must’ve either heard the earlier conversation, or had the prices jacked up due to their association with him. Hyrule looked more resigned than anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This </span>
  <em>
    <span>bastard</span>
  </em>
  <span> just comes out of nowhere and starts insulting Four. He even insulted his </span>
  <em>
    <span>mother</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Legend fumed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really, it’s okay.” Four reassured, causing Legend and the others to turn towards them in disbelief. “I’m used to it. It’s all right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Used</span>
  </em>
  <span> to it?!” Legend raged. “You shouldn’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>used</span>
  </em>
  <span> to that kind of treatment! He didn’t even treat you like a </span>
  <em>
    <span>person</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Four looked away; unable to meet Legend’s angered gaze as the realization set in for him that this was </span>
  <em>
    <span>normal</span>
  </em>
  <span> treatment for them. They noticed that Hyrule looked away, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time came back alone, brushing off his armor casually, the man nowhere in sight. “He’s not going to bother you again.” For a moment, Four swore they saw Time slipping some kind of mask into his pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you…?” Four’s eyes went wide.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Did he just kill someone?!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Red panicked.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I don’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>think</span>
  <em>
    <span> so?!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio sounded unsure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, but he was certainly given a… </span>
  <em>
    <span>talking to</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Time reassured them with a smile. “But what he said wasn’t right. I don’t care what the villagers say. You’re not possessed or anything of the sort. And you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> crazy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four could feel their face burning bright red, and Red’s tears were starting to leak out of their eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe we should have this conversation elsewhere?” Hyrule spoke up, eyeing the semi-hostile people around them. The glares and tightened grips around gardening tools should be a big warning sign even to the Links who </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> deal with hostile civilians.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Time agreed as they carefully made their way out of town. The group circled around Four as if to protect them from the acidic words hurled by the villagers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s right! Leave, you cretin!” One man shouted as they left. Four ducked their head, half-expecting something to fly towards them. It wouldn’t be the first time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bastard!” Another villager shouted, raising a pitchfork.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Should’ve left you to drown in the river!!” A woman cried out, apple clenched tightly in her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Loon!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay away from my children, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>freak</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” The cries were becoming more and more hurtful, and the anger from the town was palpable. Even still, Four kept a tight grip on the people around them, keeping everyone moving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Next time you come around, we’ll burn you ourselves!!” One drunken man cried out from the pub. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Death to the monster!” Another drunkard cried, and numerous roars of approval rose into the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leave it be.” Four warned them when they sensed the group gearing up for a confrontation. “They don’t know where I live… It’s fine. Let’s just… leave.” They looked up at them. “Please?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To their surprise, it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sky</span>
  </em>
  <span> that looked the most furious. Sky and Time—the two calmest of the group. Sure, everyone looked angry, but those two looked ready to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Thankfully, everyone seemed to listen, and Four let their shoulders relax when they finally rounded the trail into the forest, village out of sight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The hell was </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Legend asked as they walked. “Those people actually wanted to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill</span>
  </em>
  <span> you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re not always that bad. There’s a festival coming up, and I think they’ve been drinking.” Four fidgeted a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t make it right, nor any less concerning.” Sky spoke up. “What if they actually did something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean…” Green abruptly took over, sensing the self-depreciating comment Vio was about to make. “I’ve got some friends I could stay with?” At least they knew the Minish would accept them.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Like it’d really matter if they did kill us?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red’s quiet voice rung in their head. None of them had anything to say against it. Without these eight people, nobody but the Minish and Dot would grieve them. Sure, the rest of the people of their Hyrule were kind, but Four tended to distance themselves from other people. They didn’t have friends like Twilight or Time. And Ezlo—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Friends that </span>
  <em>
    <span>won’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> try to kill you?” Legend raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Friends that I can guarantee will do everything they can to get back at the villagers.” Green affirmed. The silence as the group walked was a heavy one, and Four couldn’t contain the relief they felt as their house came into view.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look. What they said… it wasn’t right.” Twilight spoke up. He looked pained and angry. “Nobody should be treated like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s right.” Sky nodded. “They were horrible to you. The shopkeeper we got supplies from was gossiping about you, and the things he </span>
  <em>
    <span>said</span>
  </em>
  <span>…” A look of pure </span>
  <em>
    <span>loathing</span>
  </em>
  <span> flashed across the Skyloftian’s face, startling them for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was all we could do not to kick his face in.” Warriors ground out through clenched teeth. “Look, I don’t know why they hate you, but from what I’ve seen, you’re a good guy. I’d trust you with my life, Four. Don’t listen to what they say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’d all trust you with our lives.” Time stated softly, a gentle warmth lighting his eye. “I don’t care what happened on your journey—you’re family.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four swallowed hard as tears started building in their eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“They trust us.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Green echoed numbly.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“They shouldn’t.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue spat with a mental scowl.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“They deserve to know.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red argued.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No they don’t! They’ll be like everyone else!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Blue refused.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Weren’t you listening?!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red cried. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“He called us family!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“We HAD a family!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue snarled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“We don’t need another one! We never needed one in the first place, so why the fuck should that change?!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Calm down, Blue.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Green chimed in. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Red, you know better than to bring that topic up.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“But! Can’t we… just this once? Time’s so much like Father…”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red said softly, and the other three flinched. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“S-sorry. I… I didn’t mean—”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No, you didn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>think</span>
  <em>
    <span>.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue glared. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“You never think, Red! That’s the problem! You just act like everything is fine and dandy, well newsflash! It’s NOT! Maybe if you stopped to </span>
  </em>
  <span>think</span>
  <em>
    <span> for once in your life, Father would still </span>
  </em>
  <span>be</span>
  <em>
    <span> here.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Blue! That’s enough!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio snapped. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“You’ve gone too far.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Blue glared between Vio and Red, but he knew he’d crossed an unspoken line. Red bit back a sob, and he could feel the anger and disapproval radiating off Vio and Green.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“A-all I’m saying is that we can’t keep lying like this. It’s hurting us, and it’s hurting them.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red choked out.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes we can!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue shot back, voice raw with a quiet pain. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“One day, this journey will end, too. And things will go back to how they were before. It doesn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>matter</span>
  <em>
    <span> how they feel, we’ll just be alone again at the end.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue paused for a moment, deliberating his next words. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Are you really such a glutton for pain, Red?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a beat. A moment of silence as they carefully let the weight of Blue’s statement weigh upon them. Emotions ran raw from the fight and the newly realized truth of this latest journey.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I still want them to know. I’ll regret it forever if we don’t.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Red spoke up softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I say we keep quiet.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue’s voice was firm.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“There’s logic in telling them… At the very least, we’ll be able to separate again. We may not get another opportunity like this again.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio shook his head. The three went quiet, waiting for Green’s decision. Either it’d come to a stalemate, or the secret would be spilled.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Let’s do it.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Green finally decided. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Fights are getting more heated. We need to separate. I don’t care if they like us anymore. I’m sick of this constant tension between us. I’m tired of being Link.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The four shared a mental nod before letting Green take control of the body. Red was far too emotional from the fight, and Blue was still cooling off. Vio was trying to keep any further confrontations from occurring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Green looked at the others, who were staring at him. They must’ve been quiet for a long while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay? You kind of zoned out there.” Twilight frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… I think there’s something I should tell you.” He started. “Something </span>
  <em>
    <span>we</span>
  </em>
  <span> should tell you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We?” Twilight tilted his head, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Fuck it. I’ll do it. Gimme control.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue didn’t wait for a response as Green found himself taking a sudden and unwelcome backseat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look. Our journey fucked us up.” The others startled at the abrupt personality change. “This Foursword? Yeah, it has a nifty little power to it.” Blue grabbed the blade, keeping it sheathed. “There’s a reason we never let you touch it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, he pushed their magic into it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’d been a long time since they last split, and they </span>
  <em>
    <span>felt</span>
  </em>
  <span> it. Normally splitting was a welcome relief—a tingling sensation like circulation returning to a limb that hadn’t yet fallen asleep. Strange—perhaps a tad uncomfortable—but a relief nonetheless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time, it felt almost half as bad as the First Split—a pain that sectioned itself into four pieces, splintering off and tearing away at their very soul. Despite this, it was only seconds before the four of them were plopped on the floor of their home panting for breath. The others stared, unsure of how to take this latest turn of events.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damnit, Blue! You can’t just </span>
  <em>
    <span>take over</span>
  </em>
  <span> like that!” Green glared from where he sat on the wooden floor. He felt too dizzy and unsteady to stand. “Jerk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were just gonna flower it up. I wasn’t wasting another chance. And look, now we’ve split, so fuck you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh… hi?” Red greeted the group unsurely, leaning against the wall. The other Links just stared at the four as they tried to comprehend what they just witnessed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Told you this was a mistake.” Blue sneered at Red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! You haven’t even given them a chance to properly process everything!” Vio grabbed Blue’s ear before he could stalk away. “And don’t think you’re not still in trouble for that fight earlier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“OW! Vio!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay put and stop running away from your problems.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“V-Vio’s right.” Red pointed out, eyes still red from crying earlier. “We can’t keep running away from this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Green turned towards the group who was slowly coming out of their shock. “The Foursword isn’t like the Master Sword. It has the ability to split one person into four, hence the name.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thing is, it splits you down to the </span>
  <em>
    <span>soul</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Vio picked up. “Once you’ve split, there’s no going back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few eyes widened at that. “You mean… you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> Four?” Wind blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. I’m Violet, but call me Vio. I’m the one with the braincell around here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Red.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s the emotional one.” Green shook his head. “I’m Green, and the hothead over there is Blue.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can introduce myself, dick!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know.” Green gave him a grin. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Together</span>
  </em>
  <span> we are Four.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The tunic makes sense, now.” Warriors groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait! So when your eyes change color?” Wild spoke up, an excited grin on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s one of us influencing more control than the others.” Green nodded. “We usually share control. The Four you know is a mixture of us all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does it hurt you? To stay separated like that?” Hyrule asked, brow furrowed in concern.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s actually the opposite.” Vio chimed in. “It’s more painful and stressful for us to be stuffed together in one body. We heal faster when merged, so that’s why we weren’t separated when you met us. But we tend to stay split any other time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Also, if one of us dies, I’m pretty sure we all die.” Blue added in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“BLUE!” Red cried out. “That was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> okay! Nobody’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>dying</span>
  </em>
  <span>!!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, boy. Here we go again.” Green groaned, rubbing his temples. He turned to look at the other Links. “This is why the Village acted the way they did. At first, we weren’t too good at keeping conversations quiet, and they were quick to notice the eye color change, too. Since they knew us back before we split, they picked up on the differences pretty quickly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Plus there was the incident with…” Vio trailed off as the other three grimaced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I stand by what I said.” Time spoke up, tactfully ignoring the sensitive topic. “You’re not crazy, and you’re still part of this group.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!! This is so cool!!” Wind beamed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> be nice to have three more fighters around.” Legend mused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean… you don’t hate us?” Red looked at them with watery eyes. Blue rolled his eyes and shoved Red with an exasperated expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would we hate you?” Wild tilted his head. “You’re still Four, just different parts of him. If we didn’t hate you before, why would we hate you now? Everyone’s got a right to their secrets.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Red sniffled and started to cry as Vio patted him on the shoulder. “He does this a lot. Don’t mind him, he just needs to get it out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like we said—emotional one.” Green smiled. It was relieving to finally be out in the open. “Come on, I think dinner’s ready, yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They could finally relax and just be </span>
  <em>
    <span>themselves</span>
  </em>
  <span> for a change. Aside from the initial shock, everything was fine. The rest of the group was making a strong effort to include all four of them in conversations.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blue, Warriors, and Legend were getting into a heated debate about something allowing Blue to blow off steam from his earlier row with Red. Meanwhile, Red was talking calmly to Hyrule about different medicinal techniques, easily distracted as usual. Vio was reading a book next to Time, and Green was helping Wild in the kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything seemed… fine, for a change. And being split again was nice. Having a clear head was nice.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey, I’m going to go visit the Minish. Make sure everyone’s doing okay.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio stated mentally as he got up and stretched. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I heard the village is doing well.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Be careful.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Green warned, shooting Vio a look. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Want one of us to come with you?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Nah, I’ll be fine. I’ll keep the link open.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“All right.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Blue shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, where’s Vio going?” Wind asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He said he was going to check up on something out back for a bit.” Red answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t hear anything?” Wind tilted his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just because we’re split doesn’t mean we aren’t still technically one person. We can speak mentally over a fair amount of distance.” Blue spoke up, having been caught in a lull of the debate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s handy.” Twilight blinked. “It’ll be useful on patrols, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It used to be a pain.” Blue winced. “I remember when we first split that even </span>
  <em>
    <span>injuries</span>
  </em>
  <span> were shared between us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They still technically are.” Red reminded them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but the damage is kept to one person, now.” Green spoke up. “If I take a knife to the arm, the rest of you don’t have to worry about fighting with one hand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“True. That </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> annoying.” Blue huffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Everyone’s doing just fine. They’re happy to hear we’re okay. They worry about us a lot when we go to the village.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vio informed them. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Also, they already know about the incident in the village earlier, and will make sure they don’t get any rupees for a long while.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Blue snorted, an amused smile crossing his lips. “Vio’s being a snark.” He explained to the raised eyebrows he received.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You might want to call Vio back, because dinner’s ready!” Wild grinned.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Stories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sorry this chapter is so short! Wind was giving me some troubles in writing. Haha. I hope you enjoy this story nonetheless! :)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Wind hummed a bit to himself as Wild cooked dinner. He’d been doing his best to try to befriend and understand the newest Link, but he’d really only ended up with more questions. Wild was pretty cool, if he did say so himself. He never really treated Wind like a kid, and he was super patient whenever he went off on tangents. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He also </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved</span>
  </em>
  <span> listening to Wind’s stories, even if he’d heard them before. He tried to get Wild to tell him some stories of his own, but he hadn’t really had much luck, yet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were still in Four’s Hyrule, but they were expecting a shift any time, now. He hoped it’d be to his own Hyrule—he really wanted to show Wild his island! He knew that Tetra and Aryll would </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dinner’s ready.” Wild announced, and everyone traded eager grins. Vio and Red helped pass out all the bowls. It had taken some getting used to, but the colors were fitting in nicely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks!” Wind beamed as he dug into the meal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still can’t get over how </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> you are at cooking.” Red grinned. “I’m hopeless.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course</span>
  </em>
  <span> you’re hopeless, you can’t follow directions to save your life!” Vio huffed. “They’re called </span>
  <em>
    <span>cookbooks</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You’re supposed to </span>
  <em>
    <span>follow the directions</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> cook, Vio?” Warriors asked with a raised eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He can at least make something edible.” Green laughed. “As long as there’s instructions, he can make it. If it’s not written down, though, forget it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can write down some recipes if you’d like?” Wild offered, causing the purple-eyed Link to perk up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. And if you’d like, I could use some help with dinner from time-to-time. There’s some recipes I can’t make if I’m doing it alone. I really think you’d all like them, too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we can’t say no to good food.” Red laughed alongside Warriors. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s got a point! If you need a hand, let us know.” Warriors added on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We may not be able to </span>
  <em>
    <span>cook</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but most of us can follow directions.” Legend scowled. “I can at least help with prep work.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I help my wife often.” Time added on, causing a few of them to blink. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>married</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Hyrule stared. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very happily.” He held up his left hand to show the simple golden band. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To </span>
  <em>
    <span>who</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Twilight tilted his head, staring at his mentor with a curious gaze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s gotta be Zelda.” Warriors insisted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll just have to wait until we reach my Hyrule.” Time smirked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?! No!” Wind pouted. “I don’t wanna wait!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re such a kid.” Warriors laughed, making him pout more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> a kid.” He insisted. “I beat Ganon, too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Age doesn’t mean much.” Wild spoke up, causing Wind to focus his attention on him. Everyone was starting to finish up their meal. “Ganon doesn’t care how old his enemies are. You’re a kid </span>
  <em>
    <span>physically</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but that doesn’t mean much to him. He’ll hit you just as hard as anyone else. It also doesn’t make you any less of a hero.” He sent Wind a grin, and he felt his cheeks flush a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you face Ganon?” Hyrule asked carefully. They all knew Wild avoided topics like his journey with a vengeance. He seemed vehemently opposed to sharing anything personal. It made Wind kind of sad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Wild nodded after a long moment. “Calamity Ganon is what my people call him.” There was a shadow in Wild’s eye that Wind hadn’t seen before. It held a darkness he didn’t like. It almost scared him a bit, like Wild knew something that none of them had experienced, and it left him with scars on his soul that were as horrific as the ones on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wind decided he’d try to steer him towards another topic instead. “So you’ve seen some of our Hyrules, now. What’s yours like?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as suddenly as it appeared, that shadow was gone, replaced by a light that Wind was becoming increasingly familiar with. Everyone relaxed a bit, having found the safe ground again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wind’s eyes flickered towards something around Wild. It wasn’t something he could </span>
  <em>
    <span>see</span>
  </em>
  <span>, so much as </span>
  <em>
    <span>sense</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Wild seemed to have a few spirits around him. He wondered who they were. Legend had a few spirits, too.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The others leaned forward in interest as Wild hummed a bit in thought. “I guess the biggest difference I’ve noticed so far is size. You said Twilight’s Hyrule was big, and maybe we just didn’t go very far, but it felt a lot smaller than mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean yours is even larger than Twi’s?!” Wind’s eyes were huge. Twilight’s Hyrule was so big!! It took almost three whole days to get from Castle Town to Kakariko, and that was far longer than any of theirs!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s just what I think. I haven’t traveled all over Twi’s Hyrule, so I really can’t say.” Wild shrugged as he and Vio put the dishes away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean… you never got tired while trekking through my Hyrule.” Twilight mused. “Who knows? Maybe your Hyrule </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> bigger. How long does it take to get from your Castle Town to your Kakariko?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild paused to think. “From Castle Town, I think it’s about a week or two. Don’t quote me on that, though, because I don’t usually rest much on trips like that. I think if you add in resting at night… maybe a few weeks? It’s a bit faster by horse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy hell.” Warriors whistled. “Your Hyrule is </span>
  <em>
    <span>massive</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My feet hurt just </span>
  <em>
    <span>thinking</span>
  </em>
  <span> about it.” Legend scowled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No thank you.” Blue scowled. “I’d rather merge.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve noticed that the weather here is pretty mild, too. My Hyrule often has severe temperature fluctuations in specific regions.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How severe are we talking?” Vio leaned forward in interest. “Like, desert kind of fluctuations?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh… the desert can go from about 120F to negatives in a twenty four hour period.” Wild scratched his scars. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds harsh.” Warriors frowned. “Dare I ask about your Death Mountain?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild laughed a bit. “Death Mountain is so hot that if you don’t have the right equipment or elixirs, you’ll burst into flames and die. I’ve seen it happen to unprepared travelers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>insane</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Twilight gasped. “They’ll just… fwoosh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep. Some places are uncomfortably hot even for a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Goron</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I thought </span>
  <em>
    <span>our</span>
  </em>
  <span> Death Mountain was toasty.” Red grimaced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t think it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad.” Vio crossed his arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but you didn’t have to </span>
  <em>
    <span>hike</span>
  </em>
  <span> the whole way up.” Blue pointed out bitterly. The four Colors traded looks that Wind and the others were coming to know as them speaking mentally. He had to admit, their facial expressions were entertaining when he couldn’t hear what was being said. Blue scowled and Vio’s lip twitched upwards. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No offense, but your Hyrule sounds like actual hell.” Legend shuddered lightly, looking at Wild.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not all bad.” Wild smiled widely. “The people are kind and helpful once you get to know them, and the scenery is </span>
  <em>
    <span>incredible</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” He grabbed his slate and flicked through it for a moment before turning it around. The image was breathtaking—a sunrise over the snowy peaks of a mountain. There were trees as far as the eye could see, and Wind had never seen anything quite so beautiful before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The others seemed to share that sentiment, even the colors stopped their silent argument to study the image. Wild showed them another picture with scenery that was just as majestic. “My Hyrule is full of nature, and towns are few and far between. Perhaps because of that, scenery like this is pretty much everywhere. You’ve just gotta take the time to look.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Man, I can’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>wait</span>
  </em>
  <span> to go exploring that Hyrule with you!” Hyrule grinned and Time paled a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You got lost enough in </span>
  <em>
    <span>Twilight’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> Hyrule. From the sounds of it, yours is a lot bigger.” Legend glared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know my Hyrule pretty well, though. And if I get lost, I can always just check my map, ask a korok, or teleport.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, you have </span>
  <em>
    <span>koroks</span>
  </em>
  <span>?!” Wind perked up excitedly. He didn’t catch the small wince Time gave. “I have them too!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! The koroks and I have this game we’ve been playing throughout my journey! It’s the world’s biggest game of hide-and-seek! See, they stole all the maraca seeds from Hestu—another korok—and hid all across Hyrule! So whenever I find one of them, they give me the seed.” Wild grinned proudly. “They have all sorts of puzzles to solve to find them, and sometimes they’re in the most </span>
  <em>
    <span>frustrating</span>
  </em>
  <span> places.” He scowled lightly thinking of some of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah? Like what?” Warriors grinned, leaning on his hand casually. His eyes gleamed with curiosity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So this one time, I was climbing to the summit of the Dueling Peaks—because there might be something cool up there, right?—and I </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally</span>
  </em>
  <span> get to the top expecting some kind of ore deposit or shrine, or at the very least a weapon, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Instead there’s a single rock just </span>
  <em>
    <span>sitting there</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And lo and behold, I lift it up and </span>
  <em>
    <span>there’s a korok</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And he </span>
  <em>
    <span>laughs</span>
  </em>
  <span> at me. Like watching me nearly get flattened by a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Talus</span>
  </em>
  <span> to get there was entertaining. I was half tempted to drop the rock back on his head.” Wild huffed as several of them burst out laughing. “There actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> a shrine up there, but it was on the other side of the peak.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you just free climbed a mountain?” Sky asked, perplexed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, yeah. How else was I supposed to get up there?” Wild blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if you fell?” Twilight frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a paraglider.” Wild beamed, stepping back to unfold a piece of fabric that looked something like Sky’s sailcloth. Only instead of being the fabric by itself, it was pulled taut between two sticks of some kind. “It lets me glide like a Rito. It’s really fun! Sometimes I’ll climb stuff just to glide off—you never know what you’ll find.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah! Think I could try it sometime?!” Hyrule grinned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure! Oh, that reminds me! I think you’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> shield-surfing! It’s a popular sport in my Hyrule~!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Someone stop them</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Twilight groaned softly in horror, making Time chuckle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you, but why do you steal all your weapons from monsters?” Warriors asked. “When you bought that sword and shield from Castle Town, you said you’d never had a new weapon before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t. Or, not from what I can remember, at least.” Wild’s smile calmed. “Like I said, towns are few and far between in my Hyrule. You can’t just walk into a shop and buy weapons. You can buy arrows from some people, but merchants don’t carry very many of those—I think most if not all of the arrows and bows in my Hyrule are crafted by the Rito. Even Hylian bows are usually stolen from monsters or passed down through families. If you’re lucky, you can find old rusted weapons at the bottom of rivers and lakes and then chuck ‘em at an octorok on Death Mountain—they’ll polish it right up, you just have to remember to duck when they spit it back out. Sometimes you can get some pretty nice weapons that way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about your Castle Town?” Twilight asked. “Surely, there’s some kind of smith there?” The colors nodded in unison, obviously thinking the same thing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, Wind may have been young, but even he noticed how uncomfortable the question made Wild. So he decided to give the hero an out. “You could always find stuff in dungeons?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild shot him a grateful look before it quickly changed to confused. “Dungeons?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The group blinked at one another. “You… don’t have dungeons?” Legend asked incredulously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have shrines? They’re filled with deadly puzzles set up by the Sheikah centuries ago to help prepare the hero.” Wild offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, that doesn’t quite sound like a dungeon.” Hyrule shook his head. “Dungeons have all sorts of monsters crawling inside of them. Sometimes they’ve got puzzles, but more often than not they’re old temples or crypts that’ve become infested. Lots of locked doors, need to find the keys, usually gotta run around a lot?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No?” Wild tilted his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever encountered that before…” He paused. “What’s a key?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stopped and stared at him. “You’re kidding, right?” Legend held Wild’s confused look. “Holy shit, you aren’t. How the hell did you get </span>
  <em>
    <span>anywhere</span>
  </em>
  <span> without a key?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, is this key thing really so important?” Wild frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hyrule sighed and pulled out a key. “This is a key. It goes in the lock of a door or chest to open it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not just… kick it open? Or bomb it?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>bomb</span>
  </em>
  <span> your go-to solution for everything?” Vio pulled at his hair as Green patted his shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There, there.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Not</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Helping</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He glared at his green-clad quadruplet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kick </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> open? The door?” Wind tilted his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, the chest.” Wild answered simply. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Most chests don’t just… </span>
  <em>
    <span>open</span>
  </em>
  <span> when kicked.” Twilight chuckled. “They’re usually locked. I know I had to pick a lot of locks to open those dang things. The really special ones needed keys, though. Magically protected and all that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild frowned. “If you punch it or kick it, it should open, though. They </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> do, even when they’ve been buried in the snow or sand.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Buried in…” Sky stared. “You have chests just </span>
  <em>
    <span>laying around</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we don’t.” Warriors laughed. “If we did, I’d be a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> richer.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Richer? You’d sell the weapons?” Wild grimaced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our chests normally have rupees in them.” Red informed with a chipper smile. “I’m guessing yours has weapons?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Swords, broadswords, arrows, lances… You can find all sorts of weapons. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a shield.” He grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you </span>
  <em>
    <span>use</span>
  </em>
  <span> all those?” Time raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Course.” Wild nodded. “I can use any weapon. Boomerangs, spears, clubs, swords, axes… I remember one time I took on a Lynel with a rake.” He laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, did you just say </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lynel</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>rake</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Legend looked like he was halfway between throttling Wild and fainting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I sorta ran out of weapons. But I only had a little more damage to do before it was dead, so it worked out in the end.” Wild waved it off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unbelievable.” Hyrule shook his head. “Your Hyrule is all kinds of crazy. No dungeons, no keys, unlocked chests just </span>
  <em>
    <span>laying around</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Lynels, weapons galore… Must be quite the culture shock coming to these other Hyrules.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kind of.” Wild rubbed the back of his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With how often you </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘run out of weapons</span>
  </em>
  <span>’, I’m shocked you're not a regular to that goron blacksmith of yours.” Blue muttered under his breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I visit the Gorons often enough.” Wild grinned as Blue flushed, likely having forgotten how good Wild’s hearing was. “Yunobo would get worried if I didn’t visit every so often…” He frowned. “Come to think of it, they must all be worried. I got sucked away without any warning.” He paled a bit. “Shit, Sidon must be worried </span>
  <em>
    <span>sick!</span>
  </em>
  <span> And </span>
  <em>
    <span>Teba</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” He ran a hand through his hair as he grew more distressed. “Shit, he’s gonna lecture me until my </span>
  <em>
    <span>ears </span>
  </em>
  <span>fall off! And Riju—oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>, shit! Purah! And </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bolson</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> dead.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Calm down, pup.” Twilight laughed. “Time passes a bit differently. We don’t understand it, but you won’t have been gone for </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> long by the time we hit your Hyrule.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild didn’t look overly comforted at that. “I had things on order with the Gerudo.” He stated. “I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> on time to pick them up. If I’m even a </span>
  <em>
    <span>day</span>
  </em>
  <span> late, Riju will send an </span>
  <em>
    <span>army</span>
  </em>
  <span> out to find me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re exaggerating.” Warriors scoffed. “Right?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” Wild shook his head. “Last time I was late to pick up my orders, I stumbled into town half-dead from an unexpected Yiga-Modulga encounter. The whole town freaked out and shoved I don’t know </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> many elixirs down my throat.” He rubbed his face with a sigh. “This is going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>suck</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, the mailman seems to find us no matter what Hyrule we’re in.” Wind piped up. “I can still exchange letters with my sister and grandmother. Maybe you can write them?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…” Wild frowned. “We don’t really have a functioning mail system like that in my Hyrule yet.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t? If it’s that big, how do you send letters?” Sky blinked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You send someone out to deliver them or deliver them yourself.” Wild answered. “I’ve got a good number of friends among the Rito, so maybe I can talk to them about establishing a mailing system involving that… Usually it’s no issue for me because I can teleport across my Hyrule.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, you can </span>
  <em>
    <span>what?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hyrule startled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Teleport. Using the Shrines.” Wild pointed towards his slate. “It does more than just store stuff and take pictures, you know. I can freeze water and make bombs and stuff. Magnesis is pretty handy, too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dare I ask?” Time shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably not.” Wild sent him a cheeky grin. “Oh, speaking of, we’re almost out of potions and stuff, right?” He looked towards Hyrule, who nodded. “I’ll make us some more Elixirs, then.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” Legend stared blankly at Wild. “You mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>buy</span>
  </em>
  <span> us more Elixirs?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No?” Wild answered slowly as he set the cooking pot back up. “I’m going to brew us some Elixirs.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can </span>
  <em>
    <span>brew</span>
  </em>
  <span>?!” Half the group shouted in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a guarded trade secret.” Time explained. “If just anyone knew how to brew potions, then the sellers would be out of a job.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everyone in my Hyrule knows how to brew.” Wild shrugged. “Why do you think I’m always gathering stuff? Not all of that’s for food.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Amazing. Do you know how many rupees we’ll save on potions?!” Hyrule grinned. “Can you teach me?!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh… sure? It’s not that hard. The Hearty Elixirs just take some monster parts and a Hearty Lizard.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, did you just say </span>
  <em>
    <span>monster parts</span>
  </em>
  <span> and a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lizard</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Sky turned a bit green. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Wild frowned as he pulled out what looked like bokoblin guts, lizalfos horns and a tooth that Wind did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> want to know the origins of. He tossed it in the pot and poured something into it before adding a </span>
  <em>
    <span>whole lizard</span>
  </em>
  <span> to the mix and stirring. “It’s pretty simple. Like I said—everyone back home knows how to make it.” After about a minute of stirring the hellish concoction, it melted into the familiar thick reddish substance that they downed every time they got hurt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wind, himself, suddenly felt a tad green around the gills. “I’m… not sure I want to see that ever again.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean if it works? It’s really not </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad.” Hyrule shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Coming from you?” Legend looked a tad pale. “I’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>seen</span>
  </em>
  <span> you eat your cooking. You’ve got the stomach of a Goron.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wild, if you’re going to brew more… </span>
  <em>
    <span>elixirs</span>
  </em>
  <span>, please do so when the others aren’t awake or around.” Time spoke up. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> personally don’t mind, and it seems like Hyrule doesn’t either, but the rest of the group…” He turned to stare at Warriors who was trying his best not to puke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild turned a bit red. “Sorry.” He quickly bottled the Elixir and put it away in his slate, storing the rest of his cooking equipment as well. “I’ll try to be more careful.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s normal for you. You didn’t know.” Hyrule shrugged. “I’d still love to learn, though.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild shot him a grin. “I’d love to teach you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hyrule beamed. “Time, can Wild and I take the first watch?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure.” Time waved his hand. “I’ll take the last one. Twi, you’re on middle duty.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wind couldn’t help but grin as he snuggled into his bedroll. Tonight, they’d learned a lot more about Wild and his Hyrule. He couldn’t wait to learn even more about their newest brother. Maybe tomorrow, they could see his lands for themselves. He felt a soft smile flit across his lips as he fell into the realm of dreams, the waves of his memories rocking him to sleep.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Welcome to Skyloft</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wild and Hyrule have a heart to heart and Sky learns something heartbreaking about their newest member.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <strong>A/N: Well, I’ve never updated from mobile, but I wanted to give you all an update nonetheless. So hopefully, there won’t be any issues with this  haha. <br/></strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>This chapter is supposed to be sad/bittersweet. Grab your tissues if you’re prone to tears. This is your warning.</strong>
  </em>
</p><hr/>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Sky moaned softly as he slowly became aware of the waking world. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span> he did</span>
  <em>
    <span> not</span>
  </em>
  <span> want to get up. He was perfectly comfortable where he was, curled up in his blankets. His limbs were so comfy that they might as well have ceased to exist, and he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>this close</span>
  </em>
  <span> to sinking back into his dream of pumpkin stew and lazy afternoon flights with Crimson.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The sound of voices was stronger than the pull of sleep, and Sky managed to pry one eye open to take in the bleary scene of Legend yelling at Warriors for some prank the captain had pulled. Sky wasn’t sure if he wanted to be angry or cry, because he felt like he got twenty minutes of sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could really use a nap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, you’re up.” Time sent him a small smile. “Wild’s got breakfast ready. You should grab some.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe it was because Sky was the ‘oldest’ of them all, but Time always seemed to let down some of his guard around him. It made him feel special. Like he was the dependable older brother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though if that were the case, then Time would definitely be everyone’s dad, and Sky was </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure</span>
  </em>
  <span> as hell not going to come right out and say what everyone already knew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite his want for sleep, his body’s need for food was inevitably greater. He sighed as he hauled himself to his feet, limbs still somewhat shaky and numb with slumber. He stumbled over to the logs set out by the campfire, sleepily nodding or flopping his hand in an attempt of a wave at anyone who greeted him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed as he sank down into his seat, rubbing the grains of sleep from his eyes. A tired yawn escaped him as something poked his arm. He blinked a couple times before realizing Legend had poked him with his plate. “Eat. Food. Here.” He held out the plate and it took Sky a moment longer for his sleep addled brain to understand what the hero wanted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.” He mumbled around the cotton in his mouth as he took the plate with both hands. No sense in risking it hitting the ground rather than his mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took him a couple of bites before the flavor started to register, but when it did, his brain actually started to wake up a little. So when a familiar scarred hand held a mug of dark liquid out to him, he was quick to recognise that as Wild. He tilted his head in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s coffee. Figured it’d help.” Wild explained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Coffee?” Sky tilted his head as Legend snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a bitter drink that helps people wake up.” The veteran explained. “We’ve got it in my Hyrule and a few neighboring countries.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bitter, huh?” He grimaced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mixed in some sugar to make it sweeter for you.” Wild explained, holding it out towards him. Sky took it with a sense of trepidation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It won’t bite.” Time chuckled. “I drink coffee all the time at home. It really helps.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That made him feel a lot better. He took a tentative sip, feeling the hot semi-bitter liquid wash down his throat. It really didn’t taste half bad. After a few larger sips, he started to feel more alert and aware. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, Sky’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>awake</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Wind laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wild, you’re a miracle worker.” Twilight agreed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just coffee.” Wild shrugged. Sky couldn’t help but mentally argue that. He’d tried Warrior’s coffee once. It was watery and bitter and did </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span> for him. Wild’s coffee was sweet and smooth and made him feel comfortably warm inside and out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fi hummed contentedly at his back as Sky let the conversations of the group was over him as he enjoyed his meal and drink. When he’d first met Wild, he’d nearly had a heart attack when he’d handed over Fi. His friend had aged so rapidly in Wild’s hands that he felt faint with shock. Fi had reassured him that she was fine, but there’d been something in her voice that hurt Sky’s very soul. It was… something like pain or guilt, but Fi had never really been one for such things. It made Sky wonder just what Wild had been through that even </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fi</span>
  </em>
  <span> was affected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apparently, the reason she’d aged was because she’d been absorbing her future self’s memories through Wild. Sky had since reassured the other hero that should he need to use her (something Sky was admittedly reluctant to do, what with Wild’s propensity for breaking things) she would remain at full power.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seemed that neither Time nor Wild liked Fi much. He was mildly offended on her behalf, despite her reminding him that it was illogical for him to feel that way. But damnit, </span>
  <em>
    <span>emotions</span>
  </em>
  <span> were illogical, so he really couldn’t explain to her why he felt the way he did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild was quick to grow on him, though. Despite how closed off Wild was about his journey and past, he was an incredibly friendly individual. Wild had a certain charisma that flowed from him like a mist—you didn’t notice it until it already had you. He was very sure that Wild was entirely unaware of this, which was probably why it worked so well in the first place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed when he realized his food and coffee were both gone, but for the first time in a while, he felt completely awake. He’d have to thank the cook for that. He eyed Wild gathering up the dishes. “Here, let me help.” He offered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks!” Wild beamed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a bit overwhelming sometimes, isn’t it?” Sky mused as they worked together to clean up breakfast. “Traveling across dimensions and time like this, I mean.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suppose it is.” Wild smiled softly. “I’m… not used to being around so many people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You journeyed alone?” Sky tilted his head. It would explain a lot of Wild’s behaviors. The way he flinched at unexpected touch or noise, why he always had that little look of surprise whenever someone initiated a conversation, how he recklessly charged into fights without waiting for backup. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Completely.” He nodded as everyone started packing up to hit the road. “The koroks sorta stay wherever I find them until they get bored and head back to the forest… a few of them will stick with me for a half a day or so, but… Don’t get me wrong, there’re plenty of people that are friendly towards me, and even a few I’d consider friends, but they all have responsibilities and stuff… I’m just… a drifter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm… You sound kind of like Hyrule.” Sky hummed as the group started moving. “He was pretty much alone, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had someone for a little while. A wolf that traveled with me for a few months.” Wild had a bit of a far off look to his eye. “He died protecting me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry to hear that.” Sky wondered if it was crueler for him to have had a companion that he’d lost along the way than not to have had one at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“His name was Dusk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, we’ve got a wolf that comes by every so often, too. He must be wary of you because he hasn’t shown up for a bit. His name is Wolfie. He’s really friendly, so don’t be too startled if he just walks into camp.” Sky warned. He wondered where that wolf was. None of them have seen him for a while. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for the heads up. Lots of wild wolves in my Hyrule tend to attack me, so I appreciate the warning.” Wild was quiet for a long moment. “How long has everyone been together?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean before you joined up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Everyone seems so comfortable around each other…” He wrung his hands a bit, and Sky realized that Wild still felt out of place with them. He resisted the urge to wince. Why hadn’t he said anything? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it was only about four months before you joined us. It really hasn’t been that long… Come to think of it, it’s been about half a year, now, hasn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Feels like it’s been longer.” Hyrule chimed in. “Sorry to intrude, just couldn’t help but overhear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s because we’ve all got the Hero’s Spirit.” Legend piped up. “I’m a cautious person—it’s in my nature. But I felt at ease around everyone within days. It was really weird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too.” Wild nodded. “I’m super wary of people I don’t know—and up until that point, I hadn’t realized I’d been sent to a different </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hyrule</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Large groups of travelers aren’t common in my Hyrule, let alone large groups with such pristine armor and weapons. If I’m being honest, you guys scared the crap out of me when you showed up.” He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I can see that.” Hyrule winced. “Sorry ‘bout that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, don’t apologize.” Wild beamed. “Traveling with everyone is amazing! My best memories are with you guys. I’m really grateful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky felt his heart swell at that even as Legend flushed and looked away with a half-muttered insult. At the same time, he felt his heart twist painfully. His </span>
  <em>
    <span>best memories</span>
  </em>
  <span> were with them? Fighting these monsters and being shuttled from one world to the next? Was Wild’s journey really so bleak that he had so few good memories to pull from? Wild opened his mouth to say something else when his ears twitched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Monsters?” Legend asked as the whole group tensed. They’d learned very quickly that Wild’s ears twitched like that when he sensed or heard something amiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No—portal.” He looked off to the side as a portal swirled into being a moment later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You… you can </span>
  <em>
    <span>sense</span>
  </em>
  <span> them?” Twilight blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. It feels like Hylia—warmth and light with the softest whisper of feathers…” He smiled as he spoke, and Sky tilted his head in interest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can sense Hylia?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmhm.” Wild nodded. “She would speak with me through the Goddess Statues during my journey whenever I needed guidance, or heal my injuries at the statues whenever I got hurt too bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Warriors whistled. “That’s different.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it?” Wild tilted his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t wait to introduce you to Sun.” Sky beamed. If Wild was that close to the Goddess in </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> time, he would probably get along really well with Sun. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right, everyone. Same order as last time.” Time sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky grimaced as he stepped through the portal next to Warriors. The world suddenly tilted and twisted, his stomach rebelled violently at the abrupt shift. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe and panic started to settle into his gut. Colors swirled around him in such a disorientating manner that he was forced to close his eyes, which only made him more aware of his unidentifiable position in space.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, as abruptly as it began, it was over, and Sky was gasping for breath as he lay on the ground. Portals </span>
  <em>
    <span>sucked</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The Colors groaned, but looked markedly better than normal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guess we were right.” Green shook his head as he sat up. Vio offered him a hand. “It was us being merged that made the portals so bad.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So we aren’t going to have to carry you guys around after a Switch anymore?” Hyrule smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They still suck, but we should be good.” Blue agreed, climbing to his feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky took a moment to send a mildly miffed look at Wild and Wind, who were the only two completely unaffected by the portals.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How can you two just </span>
  <em>
    <span>stand there</span>
  </em>
  <span> and be </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Red looked halfway to tears. “It’s not fair!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, they’re not that much different than traveling by Slate.” Wild shrugged. “I’m used to that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remind me to </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> travel by Slate.” Vio deadpanned as he let Red lean against him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyone know where we are?” Time spoke up, looking only a tad paler than normal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky felt a gri stretch across his lips as he started to look around. He knew these trees. He knew that skyline. And he most </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> knew the sound of a Loftwing’s call. “We’re in my Hyrule.” He excitedly informed the others.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, yeah!” Hyrule cheered. Most of the others seemed to like his Hyrule, and Sky could understand why. It was downright peaceful compared to the others’ homelands. He sent a curious look towards Wild. He was the only one who hadn’t been here yet, and Sky was eager to see the boy’s first reactions to his home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on!” Sky sent an excited look towards Wild. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> to introduce you to my Loftwing, Crimson!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Loft…wing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Giant birds that they ride, here.” Wind explained. “Sky’s the oldest of us, didn’t we tell you? He forged the Master Sword and everything!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Back in this time, everyone lived in the sky.” Twilight added in. “Which is why we’re going to take the bird express up to Skyloft.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, they’re repopulating the surface, but most people are still up in the clouds.” Vio shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wild? You might want to take a step back.” Sky warned him as he approached a Landing Point. He grinned as he whistled loudly, and that grin only grew when he heard the familiar cry of his Loftwing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The crimson bird flew down with a joyful trill and quickly nuzzled his beak into Sky’s hair. “I know, I know. I missed you, too.” He hugged him as the bird tucked him between his beak and chest. He made a kreening sound as he checked him over, making sure Sky was unharmed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, Crim.” He laughed, scratching him where his bill met feathers. The Loftwing practically </span>
  <em>
    <span>melted</span>
  </em>
  <span> into him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you think? Pretty big, right?” Wind laughed, keeping a healthy distance from the bird. He’d confessed upon their first visit to Skyloft that he was somewhat scared of large birds—something to do with his journey. It made Sky feel bad, but Wind was slowly getting used to the Loftwings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah… It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>huge</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Wild stared with wide excited eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll send down some Loftwings for you guys to ride up, yeah?” Sky grinned as he effortlessly found the familiar position on Crimson’s back and took to the skies. The wind blew through his hair as the feeling of unbridled freedom welled up within him. The surface was amazing, but his home would always be the skies. He spread his arms wide as the two of them glided above the clouds, a light spray of moisture from the cloud cover made him shiver lightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky let out a sigh of relief. Seeing Skyloft floating in the distance and the familiar sea of clouds below him left him feeling relaxed and safe. Truly, returning home was the best feeling in the world, second only to Sun’s arms wrapped around him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Groose flew up beside him. “Aw, man! Back already?” He called. “Don’t tell me your newest adventure has you tired enough to come home yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t be rid of me </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> easily.” Sky laughed. “By the way, think you can send down some knights to escort my friends up?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not your errand boy!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tch.” Groose pouted. “Fine. Seven, right?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eleven, actually.” Sky corrected. “We’ve got some new ones.” Well, one new Link and three extra Fours, but... </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>More</span>
  </em>
  <span> heroes?” Groose scratched his head. “You just can’t keep addin’ more, ya know!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take it up with Sun.” Sky shrugged. “It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> future self that’s gathering us all together.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And here I thought the surface was the strangest thing.” Groose shook his head. “Now we’ve got heroes from the future that all somehow share </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> spirit.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I said, take it up with Sun.” Sky grinned. “Speaking of—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In the study as usual.” Groose sent him a knowing smirk. “Go on, I’ll gather the boys and we’ll get your little cheer squad up here.” Sky laughed as Groose flew off to gather the other knights to guide the rest of the group up to the clouds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He and Crimson lazily drifted around the floating island for a few minutes before he spotted eight birds coming up from the surface. He smirked when he realized Wild was grinning broadly, and looked dangerously close to falling off his Loftwing. Flint was keeping a tight hold of Wild’s tunic just in case, an exasperated look on his features. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky chuckled. Even up in the sky, Wild had no fear. He idly wondered if </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span> scared this boy. He and Crimson glided gracefully over towards the other heroes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wind had a very tight hold on the knight that was flying with him, and Sky felt a little bad for the sailor. They all quickly landed on Skyloft, where many of them looked relieved. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild looked mildly disappointed, and Sky instantly knew that he was going to ask for more rides.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right!” Sky started once everyone had their feet under them again. Wild was looking around in awe. “Since it’s Wild’s first time here, I’ll explain a bit! This is Skyloft—a place provided to us by the Goddess, Hylia a very long time ago. She also gave us each a Loftwing as a sign of her protection. Loftwings are very personal, so please don’t just try to ride one without the permission of that Loftwing’s rider.” Judging by Wild’s pout, he was right to put that out there. He winced at the thought of Wild trying to ride a random Loftwing and getting bucked off over the edge of Skyloft.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Monsters.” Sky continued. “Up here on Skyloft, the most we deal with are Chuchu and Keese, though we do have these little guys called Remlits.” He pointed out the small feline who was meowing cutely. “They’re docile during the day, but at night they’ll attack on sight. A couple of bonks on the head will make ‘em run off, though. That’s about as dangerous as it gets up here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s it?” Wild blinked in surprise. He looked like the concept of safety was foreign to him, and that didn’t sit right with Sky. Was Wild’s Hyrule really so dangerous that the concept of safety was </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> foreign? He knew how to read body language, and he’d never </span>
  <em>
    <span>once</span>
  </em>
  <span> seen Wild relax. He always slept in trees, and whenever he was startled awake by a nightmare (something Sky had rarely seen, as the guy seemed to get less sleep than </span>
  <em>
    <span>Time</span>
  </em>
  <span>), he always landed on his feet, eyes scanning for danger. It told Sky a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> about the kind of journey this kid had been through. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, I was surprised, too.” Twilight laughed, startling Sky out of his darkening thoughts. “Skyloft is really safe! It’s the surface world below the clouds that holds all the danger.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eh, you’ve got the basics on the Surface—bokoblins and moblins and the like.” Sky chuckled. “Nothing too bad. Things have calmed down a lot since I completed my journey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll say.” Sun spoke up from behind Sky, and he whirled around, breathless. She was as beautiful as she’d always been, and he felt himself smile like the lovestruck idiot he was. Wild stared at her, too, but it was with shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hylia</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Wild whispered in awe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sun blinked for a moment, startled. “You’re new. I’m Zelda, but please, call me Sun.” She smiled warmly at Wild. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s the Goddess in mortal form.” Wind whispered to Wild, who had a flash of… was that </span>
  <em>
    <span>guilt</span>
  </em>
  <span> in his eyes?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is Wild, he’s been traveling with us for about two months, now.” Sky introduced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, then, it’s nice to meet you, Wild.” She held out a hand, and Wild grinned as he took it. “Though I have to ask… how could you tell?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You feel like the Hylia from my time.” He answered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you mean?” Sun frowned. The others were listening intently, curious about how their newest member could sense Hylia when none of them could. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean…” He frowned as he thought. “It’s like… the feeling of warmth and safety floating through the air. A whisper of feathers and the smell of wildflowers. Sunlight falling through the leaves of the trees on a warm summer day, and the gentle breeze of spring.” He paused. “Does that make any sense?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like you’re trying to describe divinity.” Sun nodded. “I’m surprised you can sense it, though. Most can’t unless they’ve been in a certain kind of danger. Even the others cannot sense it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild went abruptly pale as a flash of realization lit up his face. It seemed Wild had a very good idea of </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> he could sense it. Wild’s jaw clenched a bit. “Oh.” His hand idly went up to trace his scars, and Sky’s stomach dropped. He suddenly didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to know anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sun winced. “Whatever it may be, I’m glad you’re with them.” She startled a bit as she looked at the four colors. “And… You are…?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re Four.” Vio spoke up. “Our journey split us into four people but we were merged when you last met us.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’re four people that were originally one?” Sun tilted her head. “How exactly does that work?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Foursword.” Green spoke up, gesturing to the blade at his back. “Splits one warrior into four down to their very soul. We can merge and demerge at will, but we still retain individuality.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s annoying.” Blue huffed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re all aspects of one personality.” Vio added on. “I’m the logical side, Red is the emotional one, Green is the well-rounded one, and Blue is the hothead.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have so many questions about this.” Sun’s eyes shone, and Sky knew she was in one of her analytical moods. “Is it okay if I ask you about it?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure.” Vio shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild relaxed substantially now that the attention was no longer focused on him. He still looked rather shaken, though, and Sky’s gaze flitted to Hyrule and Legend—the two who were arguably the closest to Wild. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, Wild. I’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>got</span>
  </em>
  <span> to show you a few things around here.” Hyrule spoke up. “Let’s leave Sky and Sun to </span>
  <em>
    <span>reacquaint</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He gave them a grin that had Sky shooting him a glare. Honestly, </span>
  <em>
    <span>little brothers.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that reminds me, I wanted your opinion on something…” Sun pulled out one of her many notebooks, a distracted air about her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’s it coming?” He smirked as she frantically flipped through pages of loose papers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re in the process of </span>
  <em>
    <span>founding Hyrule</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Hyrule told Wild with a grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-</span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span>?!” Wild choked. He’d never seen the boy pale so quickly before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t it cool? Sky founded our whole </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Wind gushed excitedly, not bothering to look up at Wild. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> pretty neat to see history in the making.” Warriors chuckled. “Even more so to actually meet the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Goddess herself</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>heard</span>
  </em>
  <span> that.” Sun shot him a look. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>told</span>
  </em>
  <span> you to just call me </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sun</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” She huffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.” Warriors didn’t sound apologetic at all. Sky was about to make some smart-ass remark and really get the conversation rolling or turn her attention back to the colors—anything to get away from more </span>
  <em>
    <span>work</span>
  </em>
  <span>—when he </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> caught sight of Wild’s expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was like someone had punched him in the gut. He looked like he’d just realized the puppy he’d accidentally murdered belonged to his grieving best friend and had no idea how to tell him. He was about to ask him if he was okay when Hyrule nudged him with a somewhat sullen and concerned expression, and they snuck off to explore. Sky didn’t have the heart to stop them.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Hyrule was worried. Something was bothering Wild and he had no idea what it was. The most he could do was distract him in the hopes that he could pull him out of whatever funk he was falling into, but he wasn’t sure if he was doing a good job or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He just really wished Wild would </span>
  <em>
    <span>tell him</span>
  </em>
  <span> what was going on. They sat down together behind a waterfall that overlooked the clouds of Skyloft.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s bothering you?” Hyrule asked, and Wild looked startled for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can tell.” He deadpanned. “Don’t even try. You’ve been off since Sun talked about your ability to sense divinity.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild sighed and chucked a rock over the edge. Hyrule idly wondered if it was safe to do that now that people lived on the surface. Wouldn’t that kill someone if it fell on their head?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did Sky really found Hyrule?” Wild’s voice was quiet and hesitant, not at all like the rambunctious pyromaniac he knew. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of all the things he expected Wild to ask, this wasn’t one of them. “Yeah. He apparently defeated some evil god and made the surface world safe enough for people to inhabit again. So he moved people from Skyloft down to the newly named Hyrule. Since he and Sun are a thing, I’m pretty sure they started the royal family, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild winced, kicking his feet for a moment as he thought. Hyrule thought he caught a gleam of guilt, but he wasn’t sure. “Hey, ‘rule?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think… I mean if I’m…” He sighed, frustrated. “Could we still be friends… even if I’m not a hero?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hyrule startled badly and looked up at Wild, who stared at the clouds resolutely. “Wha?! Why would you think…?” He shook his head. Obviously this was something deeper than a passing thought. What Wild needed right now wasn’t to be told he was wrong—he needed to be told he wasn’t alone. “Of course, idiot.” He smiled and gently bumped Wild’s shoulder with his own, causing the bright blue sky-clear eyes to meet his own. “We’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>brothers</span>
  </em>
  <span>. No matter what you think, nothing will change that. And if you ask Legend that, you’ll just get him mad, because I’ll tell you now he thinks the same.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But… what if I’m not…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not what, Wild? Not as experienced? Not as courageous? Not </span>
  <em>
    <span>enough</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Hyrule smiled when Wild nodded. “I’ll tell you something. None of us feel like heroes. None of us feel like we’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>enough</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I honestly think it’s a trait we’ve all passed down to each other.” He chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“R-really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. You know Wind doesn’t even share the same Hero’s Spirit as us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He </span>
  <em>
    <span>doesn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope. He’s just a normal kid. His Hyrule got flooded and his Triforce was broken to bits. When his sister was kidnapped, he went out there of his own volition and </span>
  <em>
    <span>forced</span>
  </em>
  <span> the Triforce of Courage back together. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>made</span>
  </em>
  <span> it choose him. He forged his own Hero’s Spirit. Do you think him any less a hero because he’s just some random kid?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what if you think you’re not enough? Wild, there is no ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>enough’</span>
  </em>
  <span> when it comes to being a hero. You survived. Your enemy is gone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> enough.” He smiled, looking out at the clouds. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> think you’re a hero, Wild. Just from what I’ve seen these last few months… I think you’re doing just fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I… Can I have some time to think?” Wild asked after a moment. His eyes were suspiciously shiny and Hyrule understood instantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course. If you forgot where we’re staying, just ask for the Knight Academy.” He smiled and went to pat Wild on the shoulder before he thought better of it and pulled him into a hug instead. It took him a moment before he hugged back. And if it was a bit tighter than normal, then Hyrule didn’t say anything.</span>
</p><hr/><p>Sky sighed as he watched the sun sink below the horizon. Hyrule had returned a little while ago without Wild and explained that he needed some time alone. Apparently they’d had some kind of serious conversation, but everyone knew better than to ask. If it wasn’t life-threatening, then it wasn’t their business unless Wild told them himself.</p><p>
  <span>Even still, he would really rather Wild not be out there alone at night. Despite the safety of Skyloft, with the infection going on, there was no telling </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> could crop up. A valid concern they’d all had for a while was monsters from other Hyrules showing up through the use of the same portals they used. It hadn’t happened </span>
  <em>
    <span>yet</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but it was a very real possibility. If that really </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> something that could happen, then even </span>
  <em>
    <span>Skyloft</span>
  </em>
  <span> wouldn’t be safe anymore. Sky shuddered when he thought of creatures like Hyrule’s Lynels showing up on Skyloft. It’d be a massacre. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m getting worried.” Twilight frowned. “He looked off earlier, and he’s still not back.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We had a bit of a talk.” Hyrule crossed his arms. “I’m sure he’ll come back when he’s ready.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but I don’t like the thought of him being out there alone.” Legend scowled. “What if he falls? He looked far too happy to jump off that Loftwing earlier.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s got a paraglider.” Hyrule shrugged. “I’m sure he’d be fine.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> Wild we’re talking about.” Warriors pointed out. “He can handle himself.” He then sent a smirk towards Legend. “You sound </span>
  <em>
    <span>worried</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As if!” The red-clad hero huffed, crossing his arms. “I just don’t want to lose our only cook!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh huh. Suuure.” Wind laughed, causing Legend to flush a bit deeper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go look for him.” Sky offered, standing up. “It’s getting late anyhow. Skyloft isn’t big, but he loves to explore. He may have gotten lost.” This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> home, after all. He knew the place like the back of his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time looked up at him for a moment before nodding. “All right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky shot him a grin as he secured Fi to his back and jogged out into the cool evening. Most people were in their homes at this hour, so he knew Wild wasn’t shopping. Plus, the guy </span>
  <em>
    <span>hated</span>
  </em>
  <span> crowds. So… where was the most isolated place on Skyloft? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first place he checked was the waterfall cavern—where Hyrule said he’d spoken to Wild earlier. There was no trace of the hero which made Sky frown. He called Crimson and the two circled beneath Skyloft. Wild could free climb well enough, and didn’t seem to be afraid of heights. It was entirely possible he was exploring to get his mind off whatever it was that bothered him earlier. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had no luck with that, either. He and Crimson circled up, scouring any part of Skyloft they could see from the air. It wasn’t until they were at the apex of their climb that he spotted a flash of blue and gold by the Statue of the Goddess. He let out a sigh of relief as he patted his Loftwing and rolled from his back, deploying his sailcloth to gently float down just outside the gates of the sanctuary. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild was kneeling before the statue, head bowed and hands in his lap. It looked like he was praying, and Sky knew better than to interrupt a prayer. But then he saw the younger’s shoulders shake in what could only be suppressed sobs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His heart clenched. Wild wasn’t the kind of guy to cry—he was crazy, and free-spirited, and took on monster camps alone for shits and giggles. He’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> cried around them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps he’d never felt safe enough to. The realization hurt more than Sky was willing to admit. For all Wild knew about them, </span>
  <em>
    <span>they</span>
  </em>
  <span> knew very little about </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky made sure to scuff his feet against the ground as he approached, so as not to startle the other hero too badly. Wild stiffened, ears twitching at the noise. “Hey Sky.” He croaked out, making him wonder how Wild knew it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> and not one of the others. Could he tell them apart by sound? The Skyloftian settled down next to the Hylian.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s got you up here all alone? We’ve been worried.” He spoke softly, hesitant to break the silence that had settled around them like the night’s cool air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild hesitated as he gazed upon the Goddess Statue with an unreadable, heavy expression. “You founded the Kingdom of Hyrule, right?” Though he didn’t take his gaze away from the statue, Sky knew he was talking to him. “You feel pride every time you look upon the kingdoms in the future, don’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did. Every time he saw what would become of this carefully cultivated seed he was planting, he was filled to the brim with joy. To know that he’d made a home for </span>
  <em>
    <span>countless</span>
  </em>
  <span> people and had created a beautiful culture that was so unique was incredible. Even still, as far down as Wind or Legend’s times, he could make out tiny Skyloftian traditions that had survived the eons. Things like small Goddess Statues to watch over travelers, or celebrating the Day of the Sun—though the name and method of celebration had changed drastically between the eras.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was truly mind boggling to see what his people would create.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>sorry</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Wild’s voice startled him out of his thoughts. It came out as the fiercest and quietest of whispers. Sky almost didn’t hear it. He turned towards Wild, giving the other his full attention as his brow creased in worry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I…” He swallowed thickly, voice catching in his throat. He tried to sign something, but Sky was </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrible</span>
  </em>
  <span> at sign—something Wild remembered halfway through whatever he was trying to say. The fact that he was upset enough to try to revert to sign worried him. He’d been verbal for over a month, now. He’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> had to resort back to sign around them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky gently placed his hands over Wild’s, snapping the boy’s attention away from his obviously darkening thoughts. He didn’t like that dark shadow in Wild’s eye, that shine of self-loathing that Sky was far too familiar with. It didn’t look right on Wild. “Whatever it is you’re trying to apologize for, it’s okay.” He was wracking his brain trying to figure out what was going on. He’d mentioned the Kingdom of Hyrule… had Wild’s Hyrule changed somehow? Had it… Sky’s eyes widened a bit as the thought slithered into his brain. Had it </span>
  <em>
    <span>fallen</span>
  </em>
  <span>? “No matter what happened to your Hyrule, it wasn’t your fault. Kingdoms rise and fall, and you’re so far into the future, that it astounds me that Hyrule’s lasted so long. It’s not your fault.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild let out a small, pained gasp, and Sky knew with an ugly pang in his chest that he was right. Somehow, Wild’s Hyrule had fallen, and the kid blamed </span>
  <em>
    <span>himself</span>
  </em>
  <span> for it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> my fault!” Wild finally found his voice, and it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>loud</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was raw with guilt and shame. Sky startled badly. He’d never heard Wild </span>
  <em>
    <span>yell</span>
  </em>
  <span> before. “I’m no hero.” He spat, and Sky flinched at the amount of self-hatred he heard. “I’m just a failure. I couldn’t save anybody. Hyrule… it’s… because of me.” Tears fell down Wild’s cheeks, thick and hot. “And I can’t even </span>
  <em>
    <span>remember</span>
  </em>
  <span> the people who fell! I can’t even honor their memories!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Okay, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ouch</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Sky couldn’t even </span>
  <em>
    <span>begin</span>
  </em>
  <span> to imagine the kind of guilt and pain that Wild must carry around every day. To not only lose people he cared about, but to be unable to remember them? Why hadn’t the kid said something sooner? Was he afraid they’d reject him? Look down on him for his perceived failure?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky really didn’t know what to do. He was the unofficial ‘emotional one’ of the group, but Sky wasn’t the best at comforting someone so distraught. He was better than the other Links, but he still wished Sun was there to help. He carefully pulled Wild into a hug, giving the other plenty of time to pull away if he found the contact uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To Sky’s surprise, Wild clung to him like a child. His sobs were silent, but Sky held him close nonetheless, letting the lonely hero take solace in the presence of another. How long had it been since Wild had allowed himself this kind of release? Had he ever? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t help but let his mind wonder over this new information as he gently rocked Wild, running a hand through the long hair. Wild’s Hyrule had fallen—likely to Ganon, if he was reading into this right. Wild blamed himself because he’s the Hero, and was probably expected to deal with it alone. Sky was going to go out on a limb here and say that the scars that marred the boy’s face was from his unsuccessful attempt to save his kingdom. It was very likely that was also the cause for his amnesia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned his attention back towards the sobbing hero in his arms. He didn’t seem to be calming down much, and abruptly recalled Sun singing to him as kids whenever he was upset about his parents’ death. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He started by humming softly under his breath, and judging from the twitching of Wild’s ears—which tickled his chin—the other hero didn’t miss it. He kept his voice low and gentle as he slowly started singing. It wasn’t really anything in particular, but it seemed to calm Wild down some nonetheless. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The scarred youth’s ear was pressed against his chest, and Sky idly started braiding Wild’s hair as he hummed and sang. The boy relaxed even further, the sobs starting to taper off into quiet hiccups and sniffles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild’s breathing was starting to even out, and Sky knew he was nearly asleep. “m sorry.” Wild apologized.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky chuckled lightly as he tied off the braid. “Don’t apologize for feeling, if you bottle it all up, you’ll end up as salty as Legend.” Wild let out a watery chuckle, and Sky counted that as a win. “And I won’t tell anyone.” He scooped the </span>
  <em>
    <span>much too light</span>
  </em>
  <span> hero into his arms, letting Wild’s head lull against his chest. The boy relaxed even further. Like this, he really </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> look like a child, and it made his heart ache even more fiercely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild settled into his arms, curling towards him as he drifted off to sleep. Sky wouldn’t press him for answers, and he didn’t expect a proper explanation, but at least Wild knew now that he could come to Sky when he needed it. Or, at least, he hoped he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The walk back was calm and Sky couldn’t help but blink back a few tears of his own when he thought about the pain this </span>
  <em>
    <span>child</span>
  </em>
  <span> was carrying around each day. He loved Hylia, he truly did. But he had to wonder what happened in the future to allow her to let such pain befall this boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Opening the door was a bit of a struggle, but Sky managed it without waking his charge. The others looked up abruptly when Sky came in, carrying a sleeping Wild in his arms. He’d done Wild the favor of wiping away the tears, so while his eyes were still puffy, it wasn’t quite so obvious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is he okay?” Hyrule asked, concerned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s fine. We just had a bit of a talk. He… confessed some personal things to me.” Sky explained, looking down at the kid. He had grabbed a hold of the edge of Sky’s sailcloth and was tucking it under his chin in his sleep. It was such an adorably childish gesture that he couldn’t help but smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This kid had been through too much. He wanted nothing more than to keep the kid here in Skyloft and protect him from whatever horrors haunted his past.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go on, then.” Time gestured towards the barracks. “Get some rest. It’s late.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky nodded as he carried Wild down the hall and into one of the bedrooms. There were three to a room. Legend was already sitting on his own bed and Hyrule trailed in after Sky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to know?” Legend asked with a raised eyebrow. Though he sounded like he could care less, Sky still caught the flash of concern and the shine of worry in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s just tired.” Hyrule said. “I’ll explain later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hn.” Sky set Wild down on one of the beds, but the kid had an </span>
  <em>
    <span>iron</span>
  </em>
  <span> grip on his sailcloth. He nearly pulled Wild off the bed when he tried to straighten up. Legend snorted in amusement as Sky finally gave up and untied his sailcloth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll expect that back in the morning.” He told the sleeping youth, who proceeded to snuggle up to the cloth like a comfort blanket. He couldn’t help but smile at the cute scene. Even Hyrule let out a small ‘aww’. Sky sighed and tucked Wild in. “Sleep well, Hero of the Wild.” </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Wolfie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wolfie's chapter! :D A little bit of Prankster Time, and Wild encounters something horrifyingly familiar in Sky's Hyrule.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <strong>A/N: Wow, I totally meant to update this a couple of weeks ago. But I pulled 60 hours of work that week, and 21 hrs of Overtime, so... yeah. Then the writing braincell decided it wanted to work on A Hero's Spirit, so here we are! :D But I've got big plans for this fic!! (The evil cackling of my two Betas confirms this) </strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>This time, it's Twilight's point of view! For.... half a chapter. He's hard for me to write. *snickers*. I think I'll be sticking with Time or Legend for the majority of this story. I want to try writing something about a character whose POV I don't write in (and because I write in Wild's pov enough in my other fics, I don't want to bore you all). </strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>All that said, I'll update when I can. :3 Stay safe out there, everyone! </strong>
  </em>
</p><hr/>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Twilight sighed in contentment as he happily consumed Wild’s cooking. He really couldn't get over how this kid could make such great food out of just about anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were camped out on Sky’s surface world at the moment. Sky had heard some rumors about monsters near Lanayru, so they’d set out as soon as they could. The atmosphere was relatively peaceful, though there was an air of worry for their newest member.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just last night, Sky had come back from looking for Wild with said hero asleep in his arms with puffy eyes. Neither had elaborated on what had happened. All Sky said was that Wild had confessed some personal things to him. They all knew to drop it at that—if Wild wanted anyone else to know, he’d tell them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even still, it worried them how little Wild spoke of his Hyrule and journey. He only talked about his Hyrule when directly asked (though sometimes he now chimed into a conversation with little bits and pieces of how theirs was different from his), and almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> talked about his journey.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced over at Hyrule, who was sharing a story from his travels. Wild seemed to love it when the others told stories. Twilight thought some of them shared stories so Wild would feel more comfortable sharing his own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was a pretty nasty injury. I’ve still got the scar from it.” Hyrule showed them a nasty scar on his shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a pretty nice stab scar.” Green lifted his shirt to show them. “Got it in a fight with…” He trailed off and Vio looked away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had to make someone believe I’d switched sides.” Vio spoke up, and the other colors startled a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Switch sides?” Wild leaned in a bit. “Like a double cross?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly.” Vio nodded. “But I didn’t have time to tell anyone, and I was led into a situation where I needed to kill Green.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Red winced. “It was scary. For a minute, we really didn’t know </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> to think.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s incredible the trust you four have for each other.” Twilight spoke up. “Even after something like that, you trust Vio with your lives. It speaks volumes about your characters.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three other colors flushed a bit. “Vio had to injure me, but he was careful to make it non-lethal. He also slipped a potion into my pocket to make sure I’d be okay.” Green smiled. “I knew the moment he stabbed me exactly what was going on.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even still…” Red looked down and the other three fell quiet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, yeah. That’s how Green got his scar. If one of us is hurt while we’re separated, only that individual gets the scar.” Vio closed the topic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got a pretty nice scar on my shoulder.” Warriors shifted his armor a bit to show them. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>thick</span>
  </em>
  <span> and looked nasty. “It isn’t even from my journey, but from my time as a trainee.” He chuckled a bit. “See, one of the guys thought it’d be fun to spar with </span>
  <em>
    <span>live</span>
  </em>
  <span> steel instead of the practice swords—which are </span>
  <em>
    <span>dulled for a reason</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But they left it mixed in with the normal practice blades. So when I sparred against a knight with more experience, well…” He winced a bit. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>He</span>
  </em>
  <span> didn’t get in trouble, but the kids who were messing with the swords sure did.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got this one on my arm from the time my older brother thought it’d be great fun to shove me down a hill.” Hyrule spoke up softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have a brother?” Wind perked up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Three.” He nodded. “I haven’t seen them in a long time, though.” They understood the silent message and dropped the topic, despite the curiosity shining in the eyes of many of the heroes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Several of them turned to Wild, inviting him to join in. For a moment, it looked like the longhaired Link was going to pull up his hood and turn away from the conversation. Twilight wouldn’t blame him, honestly. Scars could be very personal and private matters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, to their surprise, Wild reached down and pulled off his tunic, shivering in the cool night air. He couldn’t help but stare. The scarring on his face was bad, but he’d never realized how much </span>
  <em>
    <span>worse</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was further down. Hylia, there were </span>
  <em>
    <span>chunks</span>
  </em>
  <span> missing. Never mind all the </span>
  <em>
    <span>other</span>
  </em>
  <span> scars on his torso. They crisscrossed to weave a web of horrors and trials that the hero before him may not even </span>
  <em>
    <span>remember</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He could pick out stab scars and slices, small scrapes and near amputations, even a few burns. But overarching them all was the horrible wave of burned flesh that clawed its way across the entire left side of Wild’s body. From his hip to his ear, it was as if someone had set off a bomb right beside him. He didn’t doubt his leg was similarly scarred. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking at it this closely, Twilight honestly found it hard to believe that Wild had </span>
  <em>
    <span>survived</span>
  </em>
  <span> it. This… this </span>
  <em>
    <span>child</span>
  </em>
  <span>—because with only a handful of years of memory, that was what he was—had been put through hell and somehow still managed to put on a smile and help them out when they needed it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A deep well of something within him stirred. This sense of protectiveness washed over him like the waves of Wind’s Hyrule, and Twilight felt something inside of him shift. Wild was like a little wolf cub. He was small and had been forced to use his fangs far too young. No cub should have to use their milk teeth to defend themselves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa!! Did it hurt?” Wind asked with a wince, snapping Twilight out of his thoughts. He couldn’t help but feel like it was an incredibly insensitive response, and Time looked like he felt the same. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild just smiled and ruffled the boy’s hair. “I’d certainly rate it in the top three.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was that from a beamos?” Warriors tilted his head. It was an open-ended question that could easily be answered with a ‘no’, allowing Wild to elaborate if he wanted to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No way! That’s way too large to come from a beamos!” Red shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s right. That’s far too much damage for a beamos.” Vio agreed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what </span>
  <em>
    <span>else</span>
  </em>
  <span> could cause that kind of scarring?” Legend frowned. He looked like he was wracking his brain to figure out what Wild could’ve faced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Twilight also found himself questioning what creature could do that. Was it a monster none of them knew? Like how Twilight had the Twili monsters during his Journey? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s from a monster native to my Hyrule.” Wild stated, pulling his tunic back on. “At least, none of you seem to have anything like it. And if you </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you would’ve recognized my Sheikah Slate.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of monster?” Wind piped up again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s called a Guardian.” For a moment, there was a haunted look in Wild’s eye. Twilight didn’t like that at all. Wild didn’t often show his true emotions openly, despite the carefree and seemingly trusting face he put forth. Twilight knew that he was only </span>
  <em>
    <span>starting</span>
  </em>
  <span> to trust them. And honestly, he couldn’t blame the cub. From what little they’d heard, he’d faced betrayal and isolation with no real positive memories to draw on. He was honestly shocked that Wild was even attempting to open up to them. “I’m fine showing you guys the scars, but I’m not ready to tell you the story behind it. Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, not even a little?” Legend nudged him good naturedly. There was a sort of teasing tone to his voice, but Twilight wasn’t sure if everyone caught it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leg, if he’s not ready, he’s not ready.” Hyrule reminded him. “Joking or not, don’t push him.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right. Sorry.” Legend frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re good. I know it’s a bit frustrating. I’m sorry.” The scarred youth sent Legend a grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Wild?” Warriors finally spoke up. “Been meaning to ask this, but… you seem rather closed-off about your journey. How long was it after you completed it before Hylia brought you to us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm? Uh… maybe a month or two?” Wild answered, and the others went quiet. “Wh-what, is that not right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had ten months.” Wind stated. “Everyone else had a few years after their journeys ended.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Wild looked down, as if he was ashamed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dear Hylia, this kid had gone through what seemed to be literal </span>
  <em>
    <span>hell</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and had barely any time to </span>
  <em>
    <span>process</span>
  </em>
  <span> anything before he was shoved through a portal into a completely foreign time. It was truly no wonder Wild was so closed off. Twilight had had </span>
  <em>
    <span>years</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and he </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> couldn’t talk about parts of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry… I hadn’t realized it’d been so fresh for you.” Legend apologized awkwardly, once Hyrule elbowed him in the ribs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s all right.” Wild gave him a grin. “It’s just… My journey isn’t something I’m proud of. I love the people I met and the places I went, but it’s overall not really a happy topic for me. I’m sorry. I’ll tell you all one day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Twilight didn’t know what to say to that. Wild wasn’t overly open about his real feelings, so this was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>huge</span>
  </em>
  <span> step in the right direction for him. He was showing them a little bit of his vulnerable side. He wondered if this newfound confidence might’ve had something to do with Sky’s talk with him the other night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Twilight smiled softly before he jumped in and took the spotlight off of Wild with a tale of lost love. If Wild could take a painful step in the right direction, then so could Twilight. Even if talking about Midna—even indirectly—hurt like a bitch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were making progress. Wild was getting more comfortable around them. Once he let the story pass to someone else, Twilight stood and stretched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to do a quick patrol.” He informed them before heading out into the woods. Once he was sure he was out of sight, he shifted to his wolf form. He shook himself—it’d been far too long since he’d taken this form. His bones ached from the transformation and he padded through the undergrowth to walk it off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Scents assaulted his sensitive nose. Rabbit, deer, the stale scent of a monster that hadn’t been there for a few weeks… He made his rounds quickly and with much more ease than he would’ve had without his secondary form.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He debated with himself at the edge of camp for a moment. Sure, Sky had warned Wild about Wolfie, but he really didn’t want to be attacked on sight. Maybe if he let someone else see him first?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Twilight padded around the perimeter of the camp, and he mentally cursed when he saw Wild’s ears twitch. His eyes were locked onto his position almost instantaneously. This kid was </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> aware!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wild? What is it?” Wind asked, tilting his head curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s something in the bushes… some kind of animal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, his cover was blown either way, so… He slowly stepped out into the firelight. Wild’s eyes went wide as a flash of recognition passed through them. “Dusk…?” He asked breathlessly, though Twilight was sure nobody else heard it. He’d only </span>
  <em>
    <span>barely</span>
  </em>
  <span> heard it with his wolf hearing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it’s Wolfie!” Sky grinned. “Remember that wolf I told you about? He’s super friendly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“O-oh.” Wild shook his head as his eyes shined in disappointment. “Right, Wolfie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wasn’t Dusk the name Wild had mentioned the other day? The name of his fallen companion? Twilight wondered why Wild had nearly mistaken him for his old wolf friend. Maybe the darkness hid his markings? Either way, he felt bad for getting the kid’s hopes up, so he walked over to Wild and nuzzled his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The youth chuckled and scratched him behind his ear—likely a reflex from his own companion. But Twilight was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> a pet. He flattened his ears and growled to warn Wild against messing with them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He </span>
  <em>
    <span>hated</span>
  </em>
  <span> it when people touched his ears. It reminded him of Midna.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wolfie doesn’t like that.” Time stated, a smirk of amusement on his lips. Twilight sent him a glare. Just because he was the only person in the group who knew who Wolfie was didn’t mean he could tease him about it!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yet he </span>
  <em>
    <span>loves</span>
  </em>
  <span> belly rubs.” Wind grinned as he came forward, and Twilight backed away a bit. Normally, he was all for belly rubs. It was the most relaxing magnificent thing he’d discovered as a wolf, yet. It was a one-way ticket to bliss and sleep. But right now, he was trying to comfort Wild a bit, because he still felt a tad guilty over that false hope. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, Wolfie.” Time patted his leg, and Twilight came over to his side without question. “We’ll take the first watch. Why don’t the rest of you get some sleep?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a plan to me.” Warriors grinned as he laid out his bedroll. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild shrugged and climbed up another tree. He still primarily slept in them, despite the fact that they’d bought him a bedroll. Twilight could count on one hand how many times the kid had slept on the ground with them. And each of those times, he seemed to either have horrible nightmares—which Twilight had started to learn was the norm for the cub—or be unable to sleep at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Twilight and Time sat, side by side, as they watched the moon start to rise above the trees. It looked bright. Perhaps it was full, tonight. Despite spending months traveling, they didn’t often see full moons—likely due to hopping between times. He eyed the bright orb as it started to float up into the sky. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen a full moon. He supposed they just tended to miss them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A shift of movement on the edge of his hearing had him turning to look at the source. Time glanced in the same direction. It was Wild. The cub hesitated a moment before he sat down next to Time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s late, you should get some rest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t sleep.” Wild answered, looking up at the full moon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does Wolfie make you nervous?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” Wild shook his head. “If anything, he makes me sad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Twilight whined softly. He hadn’t meant to startle Wild earlier. He’d only been trying to help. Was the kid really that shaken up over it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He looks almost exactly like Dusk… He even has the same markings. But Dusk was a lot older. He had white around his muzzle…” Wild trailed off for a moment. “I don’t know how, but… do you think Wolfie could be Dusk’s younger form?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wild, you’re from very far into the future. I really don’t think a wolf could survive that long.” Time answered gently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know.” He looked down, frustrated. “But… Dusk even had the same…” He sighed and took out his slate. He hesitated a long moment before tapping and bringing up a picture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a bit bright in the darkness, but once his vision adjusted, Twilight could hardly believe his eyes. Standing there, next to Wild in the wilderness of his Hyrule, was </span>
  <em>
    <span>himself</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He had the same markings, same eyes, even the same damn chain on his left paw! But… </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span>? He shared a perplexed look with Time.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Time</span>
  </em>
  <span>. His </span>
  <em>
    <span>mentor</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And it clicked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It hit him with such a force that he was sure he would’ve fallen flat on his butt if he hadn’t had four legs under him. Time was Twilight’s mentor. He’d managed to take a spiritual form and train him even after he’d died. The photo was the proof. Twilight was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wild’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> mentor. He was meant to take this tiny little puppy—this </span>
  <em>
    <span>cub</span>
  </em>
  <span>—under his wing and protect him. He’d somehow stuck around for </span>
  <em>
    <span>several thousand years</span>
  </em>
  <span> to meet Wild again, and protect him in his own time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d never found a way to tell Time about how he’d met his shade. He suddenly found himself unsure if he should tell him at all. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to rest even after death was a daunting and mildly horrifying realization.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time shot Twilight a look. He didn’t need to say anything for Twilight to understand. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe you should tell Wild</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He really didn’t want to. What if he reacted badly? But he had a feeling that Wild would figure it out before long. He already knew him—in some capacity. Who’s to say he wouldn’t put two and two together? He sighed and nodded his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wild, there’s something you should know about Wolfie.” Time started after making sure everyone was asleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s not what you think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Twilight took a few steps back before transforming. Wild’s eyes went wide for a moment—disbelief and awe shining in them. Twilight saw the moment the understanding dawned on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You… you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dusk</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I am. Or will be, one day.” He wasn’t prepared for an armful of Wild. He shared a look with Time, who was equally surprised. Wild normally shied away from physical contact to the point where some of them were starting to worry about some kind of abusive situation in his past. He’d never </span>
  <em>
    <span>initiated</span>
  </em>
  <span> it like this before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry. I know you’re not Dusk yet, but I want to tell you anyway… That you’re the first friend I’ve ever had. And I wanted to thank you for saving me. I’m sorry for being such a reckless idiot, and for all the grief I’ve given you, but you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’ll cherish these memories until the day I die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Twilight took a moment to let the words sink in—to commit it to heart. Because while they may not hold much meaning for him </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>, they would one day. And for his little cub, this was perhaps his only chance at closure. “Look, cub. I may not be the Dusk you knew, but I’m still Wolfie. I’ll be here for you, okay? Ah… but you and Time are the only two who know.” He quickly amended.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild looked up, taking a step back to sit down again. “Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because not everyone is so accepting of ‘dark magic’.” Time answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But Twilight is Twilight.” Wild answered simply, crossing his arms. “His form doesn’t change who he is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two were silent for a moment before Time started laughing. Twilight wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Time laugh before. It was a freeing sort of laugh, like Wild had said something that had struck a personal chord with Time. It was nice… The laughter made him look years younger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never change, Wild.” Time smiled as said hero gave a large yawn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Looks like someone’s ready for bed.” Twilight grinned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Twilight sent him a look. “If I have to transform back and pin you to your bedroll, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He promised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right.” Wild put his hands up. “I’ll </span>
  <em>
    <span>try</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He glanced at the moon again. “It’s almost midnight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not a fan of full moons?” Time glanced at the pristine white orb.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, not at all. But… it’s so </span>
  <em>
    <span>white</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Wild whispered. “I’ve never seen a white full moon… or at least, not since…” He winced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never seen a </span>
  <em>
    <span>white</span>
  </em>
  <span> moon?” Twilight echoed, confused. What other color would it be? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time had an almost understanding gleam to his eye. “What does the moon look like where you come from?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild was silent for a long moment. Twilight noticed the way he had tensed as the moon rose higher. “Red. Like blood.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was an ominous image. A blood-colored moon? What on Farore’s green earth could cause such a thing? He opened his mouth to ask when Wild sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should get to bed.” It was obvious that he was trying to get away from the topic he’d inadvertently breached. Twilight frowned lightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get some rest, Cub.” He finally said. Wild hardly got any sleep anyways, so whatever he </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> get was worth more than some answers at the moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild sent him a small smile before he wandered off towards the slowly dying embers of the campfire to try to snag whatever piece of elusive slumber he could. It looked like he wasn’t even going to try to climb the tree again, so Twilight wasn’t sure if he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> trying to sleep or simply running away from the conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Twilight and Time shared a look. He understood that his journey was still very fresh, but it wasn’t healthy to bottle it up like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> protégé.” Time smirked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, and I’m</span>
  <em>
    <span> your</span>
  </em>
  <span> problem.” Twilight reminded him. “In a way, that makes you like his </span>
  <em>
    <span>grandpa</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time choked. “I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> that old.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, huh. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sure</span>
  </em>
  <span> you’re not.” Twilight smirked, dancing away from his mentor’s swat. “But those grey hairs say otherwise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time’s eye gleamed with mischief, and Twilight realized his comment may have gone a step too far. “One…” Time stood up and Twilight let out a small eep. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Definitely too far</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “Two…” He quickly transformed back into Wolfie and started running for it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Three.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The next morning, the others woke up to Twilight covered in cucco feathers and Time looking rather satisfied with himself—nobody was willing to explain.</span>
</p><hr/>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Time set his now empty plate of breakfast down as he took another sip from his morning tea. The others were still enjoying their food, and Time couldn’t help but marvel at how well Wild had integrated into their little group.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they’d first met, Wild had been nothing but cautious, and now he was playfully shoving Legend as he and Hyrule teased him about something. It was heartwarming to see him so cheerful. He had no clue what Hyrule and Sky had spoken to him about, but he hoped they’d managed to resolve whatever it was. All these boys deserved some joy in their lives.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky’s and Wind’s Hyrules were the closest any of them ever got to a vacation. It was kind of sad, honestly. He couldn’t help the feeling of guilt churning in his gut. More than half of these boys had to face horrors and nightmares because Time had failed. Because he couldn’t just leave well enough alone, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> to unlock the Sacred Realm. Sure, he’d been a kid at the time, but that was hardly an excuse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his darkening thoughts from his mind. Now was not the time to go down that road. There was nothing he could’ve done. Such was the curse they were placed under. He let the boys mess around for a while longer before standing up. “All right, let’s get moving. Sky, what did your source say again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beedle told me about some unusually strong monsters nesting around Lanayru.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beedle?!” Wild perked up. “You mean the merchant that obsesses over Energetic Rhino Beetles and has a backpack like a stag beetle?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know him?” Sky blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I sell stuff to him all the time in my Hyrule!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait… you mean you have the </span>
  <em>
    <span>same exact merchant</span>
  </em>
  <span> in your Hyrule several </span>
  <em>
    <span>thousand</span>
  </em>
  <span> years into the future?” Legend blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a Beedle in my Hyrule, too.” Four spoke up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And mine!” Wind beamed. “Maybe he just keeps getting reincarnated?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span>…” Wild hummed. “I want to say there was another Beedle before I lost my memory, but…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s probably the same guy.” Legend replied offhandedly. “Or his dad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really think he’s kept the same profession in the family for hundreds of thousands of years?” Warriors asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wonder what kind of woman would—</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ow!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Legend glared at Hyrule, who gave him a displeased look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>kids</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Leg.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oi! I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> a kid! I’m a </span>
  <em>
    <span>pirate</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Wind protested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time chuckled. “Getting back on track.” He clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “What’s the terrain like?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rocky. It’s in the desert so there are lots of canyons and </span>
  <em>
    <span>a lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> of sand. Perfect for an ambush.” Sky winced. “I’d recommend sending Wild or someone with good stealth to scout ahead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time hummed. “Any volunteers? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Other</span>
  </em>
  <span> than Wild?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go.” Wind volunteered. “I can be sneaky when I need to be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, why not me?” Wild pouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you’d fight them before coming back to get us.” Legend rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“… That’s fair.” Wild conceded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll scout.” Twilight offered. “I’ll take Wolfie with me—I’m pretty sure he’s around here somewhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right. Twi, you and Wolfie will scout ahead. Come get us when you find them.” Time agreed. “Until then, let’s pack up camp.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The walk was relatively quiet, but Wild seemed to be taking in everything with a sense of trepidation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’re you looking at?” Red asked, coming to walk beside the scarred youth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The divinity in the air here… there’s something tainting it.” He frowned a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah. Sun did mention that you could sense divinity.” Sky mused. “You may be sensing the lingering impressions of Demise, the Demon King.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Demon</span>
  </em>
  <span> King?” Wild raised an eyebrow and Time realized abruptly that they’d never properly explained Sky’s journey or its significance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky sent Time a look and sighed. “You already know that I founded Hyrule. But my Journey is a little more complicated than that. Many generations ago… long enough for the people of Skyloft to forget about the Surface world, a great evil rose up. This was Demise, the Demon King. Hylia alone wasn’t enough to fight him, so she sealed him away and sent the surviving people into the sky. This was the enemy I fought. When I defeated him, he uttered a curse—a curse on the Hero’s Spirit and the one with the Blood of the Goddess.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A curse?” Wild frowned. “Like… a taint?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In a sense.” Sky nodded. “ ‘Those like you… Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero… They are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!’ Those were the exact words he uttered before I sealed him within the Master Sword.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time felt a shiver run down his spine. It was one thing to know of the curse, and another thing to hear the same words that had doomed so many of them to pain. Wild had a contemplative look on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An incarnation of my hatred, huh?” He scoffed lightly. “Sounds about right.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry?” Sky looked over at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing, forget about it.” Wild shook his head. “But you actually fought a tainted god? I only had to fight a </span>
  <em>
    <span>messenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> of a goddess that was tainted and that was hard enough!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Messenger?” Legend quirked an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Wild nodded. “Naydra—messenger of Nayru—had been corrupted for a bit. I had to free them.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How does </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> work?” Wind scrunched up his face a bit just as Twilight came back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome back, pup.” Time greeted, and he noticed the way Wild looked mildly relieved at the exceptional timing of his return. “Find anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bokoblin camp up ahead.” Twilight winced a bit. “Some of them are Cursed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There shouldn’t be any </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cursed</span>
  </em>
  <span> monsters around here.” Sky frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you expect with this weird infection?” Green shrugged. “Things aren’t where they should be—</span>
  <em>
    <span>we</span>
  </em>
  <span> aren’t and neither are the monsters.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still waiting for </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> shoe to drop.” Blue muttered, earning an elbow from Red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cursed?” Wild tilted his head. “Like… bound to us?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, nothing like that.” Wind spoke up. “They’re monsters that’ll prevent you from holding a sword or shield if they hit you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Prevent me from </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Wild blinked in surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s so horrible.” Warriors complained. “It’s almost impossible to keep a hold of something when they’ve got you! Like the grips on all your shields and weapons are coated in oil.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, last time I nearly got my </span>
  <em>
    <span>arm</span>
  </em>
  <span> lobbed off.” Legend scowled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> had to have my </span>
  <em>
    <span>finger</span>
  </em>
  <span> reattached.” Wind glared at the ground for a moment. Time winced. That was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> a fun experience for anyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How many?” Time asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> many.” Twilight answered. “I think only a handful are cursed. There’s a fair number of enemies, but we should be able to pair up—that way if someone gets cursed, they’re not totally defenseless.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wild, we’re going to be relying heavily on your ranged combat skills. Bows are the most effective weapons against these cursed monsters.” Sky informed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right!” Wild beamed. “Leave it to me. I’ll cover you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just so long as I keep my limbs, I’m happy.” Legend grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry.” Wild shot him a grin. “I’ll keep an eye out for you.” Legend flushed a bit and looked away, grumbling some mild insult under his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time wondered if Legend knew that Wild did that on purpose. Leave it to the rebel in the group to befriend the prickly hedgehog. “Come on, then.” Time spoke up. “We’ll formulate a solid plan once we’ve had a good look at the area.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t long before they came upon what would be their battlefield. There were monsters crawling all over the place. </span>
  <em>
    <span>A few</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Right. He spotted the cursed ones pretty easily. He pointed them out to the others so nobody would be caught unaware. Wild was already gone, scouting the best point to fire from, more than likely. It was honestly unnerving how </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was at sneaking away undetected. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their signal came when the first cursed bokoblin went down. They charged in before the monsters could figure out where the arrows were coming from. Time lobbed off the head of one bokoblin before quickly ducking away from the swipe of a cursed one that came up on his blind side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was used to this dance, though his old bones protested it. His body flowed through the familiar stances he’d drilled into himself over the years. He sensed the monster coming up behind him and swiftly dodged, allowing his two foes to take one another out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time was quick to aid Warriors when he finished his own enemies. Warriors’ Hyrule was </span>
  <em>
    <span>infested</span>
  </em>
  <span> with monsters. Hordes the likes of which none of them had seen before. But on an individual level, they were incredibly weak. In one-on-one fights with stronger monsters, Warriors was fine for a little while, but when he had to face multiple stronger ones for any real length of time, he tuckered out quickly. Something Legend never failed to tease him about. Either way, Warriors was grateful for the help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ack!” Time glanced over at the sound of a sword clattering to the ground. Hyrule was holding his wrist with a glare as Legend stood before him protectively. He must’ve gotten cursed. An arrow quickly ended the bokoblin responsible, and Time knew the boys were safe under Wild’s hawk-eyed gaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was over remarkably fast. By the end of it, Hyrule was the only one who got cursed, and was scowling at the sword that he was temporarily unable to pick up off the ground, much to Legend’s amusement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s… it?” Wind asked, blinking owlishly as Wild leapt down from the cliff. Time had a moment of panic before he brought out his paraglider at the </span>
  <em>
    <span>very last second</span>
  </em>
  <span>, landing with hardly a sound. “I remember it being a lot harder before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well we’ve got someone who’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> with a bow, now.” Legend huffed, shooting Wild a meaningful look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh? I mean, I know I’m a good shot, but so are the rest of you, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all blinked at the cook. “Wild, do you have any idea just how </span>
  <em>
    <span>horrible</span>
  </em>
  <span> most of this group is at archery?” Legend asked, ignoring the protests from the others. “Most of these guys can barely keep a passable grouping on a target, let alone a bull’s-eye like you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” He blinked for a moment. “I mean, if you want, I can try to show you guys some techniques?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?!” Wind grinned. “Please?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, yeah! Archery lessons from Wild!” Warriors cheered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should probably pick this up.” Hyrule gestured to the monster loot that littered the area. He hesitantly bent down and cheered when he managed to pick his sword up again. “Yes! The curse is gone!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Congratulations, butterfingers.” Legend smirked as he started gathering some loot as well. “What’s this?” He frowned at something as Sky came over to take a look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sweet! A rare drop.” The Chosen Hero grinned as he picked up a purplish ball with a cloth, careful not to touch it with his skin. Time didn’t like the feeling it gave off. It felt foul, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth much like Majora’s Mask had when he’d first encountered it. While this tiny orb didn’t feel anywhere near the tier of power the Mask held, it was still unnerving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> that?” Warriors asked, leaning over for a better look. “I’ve never seen something like that before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s crystallized—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Malice</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Wild’s breathless whisper cut off Sky. The scarred youth was staring at the orb with a wide-eyed expression that Time </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> like. Obviously, this malice held many horrific memories for Wild. “That’s Malice, I’d recognize it anywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have </span>
  <em>
    <span>Malice</span>
  </em>
  <span> in your Hyrule?” Sky jolted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Calamity was practically </span>
  <em>
    <span>made</span>
  </em>
  <span> of the stuff. It burns like you wouldn’t believe—I </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> have scars from it.” Wild hadn’t taken his eyes off the ‘rare drop’ that Sky still held, and Time was starting to wonder if the hero was aware of what he was saying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I assume that this is that </span>
  <em>
    <span>Calamity Ganon</span>
  </em>
  <span> you spoke of before?” Time asked softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild winced for a moment before he answered, tearing his gaze away from the purple ball to stare at Time. “Yeah, Calamity Ganon. He could control Malice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Malice is unique to the Demon King, Demise. The God of Hatred.” Sky explained. “If your Ganon could control this… Then it’s entirely possible that this </span>
  <em>
    <span>Calamity Ganon</span>
  </em>
  <span> of yours was closer to Demise than what the others have faced.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah, wait! You’re telling me that Wild fought a </span>
  <em>
    <span>god</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Legend crossed his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t call Calamity a </span>
  <em>
    <span>god</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Wild spoke up. “He was certainly monstrous, but I wouldn’t say he was anywhere near god-level.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t sell yourself short, Cub.” Twilight shuddered with a far-off look to his eye. “I’m sure that Calamity was utterly terrifying.” Time wondered if it was at all possible for Twilight to recover any memories from his future self as Dusk. Perhaps it was more of a feeling that his Pup was getting.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have no idea.” Wild muttered, shaking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wind looked like he was going to ask something else when Hyrule—who Time had figured was looking for a topic change—found a chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All </span>
  <em>
    <span>right!</span>
  </em>
  <span> A purple rupee!” Hyrule cheered as he held up the sparkling gem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wild’s head whipped to the side abruptly, head tilting to the left. Time had noticed he tended to do that whenever he sensed another portal cropping up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure enough, a new portal swirled into being exactly where Wild had been staring. It was almost creepy the way he could sense them, but it was a bit of a relief to know they’d never have to worry about missing a portal again. That had happened </span>
  <em>
    <span>once</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> a fun trip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, man! Again?! We just </span>
  <em>
    <span>got</span>
  </em>
  <span> here!” Wind pouted. Sky looked crushed, and Time couldn’t blame him. They’d only been here for two and a half weeks, after all. Most of them had gotten a little longer in their Hyrules.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right. You all know the groupings by now.” Time called out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The group nodded as they separated into their designated pairs. Time clapped Twilight on the shoulder as they stepped through, heading towards their next adventure.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>